Persona Advent
by Judgment Waltz
Summary: Time travel leads to the strangest results in people's lives. But it wasn't a bad thing for her, now that she could live again, but she still wondered why she had to return to the realm of the living in the year 2009 instead. Oh well. At least she had a leader to watch over while she was alive again... not that it came without some catches.
1. Life and Death - 01

**I could apologize for my very long absence on my side, but I guess an apology's not really gonna cut it, huh? But yeah, getting a job is still both a good thing and a bad thing, but I'm not gonna complain. Especially since I finally got this out!**

 **This started around the time after last January, the month I actually started to get busy with my life. So if there are notable mistakes here and there, please do notify me. I'm not always that perfect for finding errors, after all, and it does get worse when words are over 10k. But hey, that's now a thing, right?**

 **Now then...**

 **A new Journey begins! Start!**

* * *

A silver-haired boy frowned as he sat on top of a certain high school, gazing at the magnificent night sky.

"Now, now, Nyarlathotep... there are many reasons why I'm not letting you win, you know."

* * *

The rumbling of the train continued.

The commotion between the passengers didn't exist.

The night sky was piercing black, save for the stars that shone there.

"Hm..."

The miniscule dream of a planet of sweets came to a sudden end. She slowly tore open her eyes, and the most she was getting was a blurry image of the inside of a train. Most of her body felt stiff, she was only half-awake when the sounds of the train came to her. And she felt... warm. Warm on one side, and she felt a trail of drool coming from one corner of her lips. Warm... and it felt like clothes...

Wait, she was leaning on something after sleeping this entire time? That wouldn't do. The person beside her must have left her like so, feeling very passive about her resting position but unsure how they were supposed to react. They might have been a little angry, even if it was just a small accident.

She turned to him, ready to apologize.

...

"Zen...?"

Rei unconsciously blurted it out, but the person in front of her... no, it was all too real...

Her eyes widened as she gradually became more aware of her surroundings. The memories of the labyrinth, her longing time spent in the hospital... her empty death, her friends in the fake school, and Zen... he was supposed to have taken her to the afterlife... and she was supposed to be resting in peace after all they've been through!

...

But that face, and the way his eyes spoke of worry...

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Even his voice remained...

She blinked. No. No way. What was going on? How were they still alive, and even right next to each other? Before she could try asking him, she noticed how he seemed clueless about their situation as well. And he was worried about... oh, right.

"Ah, yeah," she sheepishly said. "I'm... just a little hungry."

Maybe that was a bit of an excuse, but it's not like she had anything else to say. Zen only nodded, just like how his usual demeanor worked out. He wasn't the type to speak with words, but he wasn't that silent.

"I see," he muttered before bringing out a small piece of paper. "Here. I found this in my pocket. I was told to give this to you when I finished reading it."

An index card? A message to them? Rei gently took the piece of paper held in his hand and began reading its contents. How odd. What was written in here?

 _To Zen and Rei. If either of you finished reading this, pass it on to the other person I mentioned._

 _I will make this very brief. There is a force that allowed you to be present at this point in time. I will not reveal my intentions early as I fear it may cause problems I won't detail. What I will ask of you is to use this opportunity to uncover whatever secrets that put you in this position, but do not completely derail the true purpose of a certain individual's Journey. Instead, do whatever you can to assist him, for he will need you._

 _Your names will be Zen Kurozuki and Rei_ _Kimishima_ _. I have also prepared the instructions on where you must head to when your train has reached its destination._ _You are to be transfer students to Gekkoukan High School_ _as first-years_ _from this point on._ _If you need help, ask around, but do not give yourself away easily. Also, make sure you remember you_ _r_ _aliases well to protect your identities and your intentions._

 _You will be given one year to watch over a certain person. Go forth without falter, with your heart as your guide._

 _...By the way, make sure Zen knows the common etiquette of this world well. Zen, if you are the one reading this part, please don't bring any weapons to school. Okay, thanks._

Rei... was practically speechless. A message... that knew of their situation and warned them in some way.

How could this have happened? She wasn't supposed to be alive, not anymore at least, and neither was Zen. That time when they were linked to the labyrinth was the only time they were ever around, and the only time they were saved. Her new friends, those from Gekkoukan High and those from Yasogami High who traveled beyond time and space, they helped them see through to the true end of their story.

The resolution wasn't the best for all of them. Many painful obstacles and revelations were made in that labyrinth, and their lives had to whisk away, but now she's alive, and Zen's here too...

What just happened? Did she miss a memo? And who was the person that wrote this message?

"...Huh?"

And... where were they? Rei looked around with the glances of a curious, young child. They were... on a moving train. Not an easy thing to stomach. If she never found herself being resurrected, then she definitely never remembered boarding a train to... somewhere. She didn't know. She also felt a slight change on the way she moved around. Looking at herself, she was... not wearing the uniform she usually went with to Yasogami High. In fact, the uniform she was wearing resembled the female uniforms of Gekkoukan High.

Okay. That was a bit weird. And creepy. Did someone change her clothes when she wasn't looking? Looking at Zen, however, also revealed that his Yasogami High uniform was gone, and in its place was the Gekkoukan High male uniform. He also happened to be missing his traditional choker too. From the look Zen gave to her, it seemed he was just as clueless. Maybe the person who left the message changed their clothes?

More importantly... what's going to happen to them? Were they really planned to become transfer students to Gekkoukan High? And what was this person that they were supposed to look after? Rei quietly glanced around the train, hoping to catch whatever this person was...

Wait, that person...

Rei stared incredulously. Standing just beside the entrance/exit on the other end was someone familiar. He carried that bored expression on him, with silver eyes seemingly tired while staring at the corners of the world, and old-looking headphones attached to his ears, playing some kind of music Rei couldn't hear from this distance. The clothes he wore were also a Gekkoukan High uniform.

He can't be...

" _Burn My Dread~..."_

...

...Yeah, it was him alright.

Rei shook her head to disregard her shock, feeling very left out on how this world was working at the moment. Minato Arisato, one of the leaders from that labyrinth, was also on this train. How was he...? No, why was he here? Was he the person mentioned that they were supposed to look after? Maybe Minato actually knew what was going on?

"Um, excuse me..."

She tried to get his attention, internally slapping her forehead for trying to get to a guy buried in his headphones. But surprisingly enough, he pulled them away from his ears and stared back at her. He sure had good ears.

"...Yes? May I help you?"

...

There was... something wrong with him. His eyes didn't speak of any familiarity towards her, question or not. Minato only gave a curious glance at the blond-haired girl, maybe not acknowledging who he was actually talking to. Rei almost made a face of disbelief. Didn't he remember her, back at that mirage of Yasogami High? No, there was still the question of if he still remembered that...

"What's wrong? You've been staring at me." He inquired about the little girl's attention grab. She blinked. Oh, right.

...What was she supposed to say to him? She didn't know if Minato really knew her...

"Um, this is just a feeling," Rei started off slowly before darting her gaze to the ground. "But... have we met? Somewhere before?"

He blinked as well.

"Why do you ask?"

...She sighed. Of course.

"It's just... you reminded me of someone I knew..."

"I see..."

...It was already hopeless. Rei didn't get to hear anything concrete about him, but there was no doubt that he had no memory of her. Of course. The memories he shared with them were back in the labyrinth, and because it was anchored to the labyrinth, anything that happened to it would also affect their memories. And with its destruction... he didn't remember. This was done in order to keep their timeline stable, or so she heard.

She pouted. Was losing memories about their experience really for the best...?

"Oh, you're part of Gekkoukan High, too?"

The blonde girl slowly turned her head to the other voice in this train. Common brown hair, but with gorgeous red eyes, this girl happened to be wearing... the same uniform Rei was wearing. Another Gekkoukan High student?

"Ah, yeah...?" Rei hastily picked out a snack from behind her as she looked away in embarrassment. "I, uh, haven't heard a lot about it! You know what's it like?"

The red-eyed girl recoiled for a bit, and that moment made Rei think about Fuuka a little. Reserved at times, but still friendly even if soft-spoken. Maybe this girl here was the same, in a sense?

"Well," the brunette smiled thinly, "they say it's pretty prestigious, what with it being owned by the Kirijo Group and all..."

Kirijo Group... Mitsuru Kirijo? Or rather, her family?

"...but other than that," she began to end on a somewhat low note, "I don't know much else."

The silence was greeted once again.

"...I'm Hamuko Yuuki, by the way," she then introduced herself with a smile. "Um, how about you guys?"

"Ah..." Rei tried to introduce herself, and... oh, no, what was the alias she was given!? It was... uh...

"I'm Zen Kurozuki, and she's Rei Kimishima." Both girls turned to the dark-skinned man. Leave it to Zen to save her life!

"Zen Kurozuki, Rei Kimishima." Hamuko repeated the names with a smile. "Nice to meet you two."

"Minato Arisato."

They snapped their heads towards the blue-haired boy, who was still staring beyond the window despite answering the question himself, almost having not a single care in the world.

Zen glared. Rei blinked. Minato sighed. Hamuko coughed.

Gekkoukan High. Not Yasogami High, Gekkoukan High. They were going to spend their school days at Gekkoukan High.

Around ten years ago, Rei's fate was long decided after she passed on from this world. Now, around ten years later, blood was now running in her body, with nary a scratch on her body and soul. Zen, another one that shouldn't be here as well, was sitting right beside her with no hint of a change in his identity. The person, who had to be the same Minato Arisato that she remembered, stood near the doors of the moving train, watching the scenery fly by. And a student/stranger called Hamuko Yuuki only hummed obliviously to herself.

" _Attention passengers, we will be arriving at Iwatodai shortly. Please remain patient and hold on for safety as the train will slow down. Repeat, we will be arriving at Iwatodai shortly..."_

The train seemed to be coming to a halt soon. They will step foot on Iwatodai. They will become part of SEES afterwards. They will soon have to fight Shadows again. And then... Rei didn't know what was going to happen.

" _Oh... I will run..."_

Hamuko quietly hummed to the loud music being blasted from Minato's headphones.

" _Burning all regret and dread..."_

Both Zen and Rei would have to uncover the answers to this life they were granted.

" _And I will face the sun..."_

And Minato would do anything to uncover his own answers, as well.

" _With the pride of the living."_

* * *

The Dark Hour.

They had only been told about it a few times from Mitsuru Kirijo, but they didn't expect the effects to be so... literal. During the Dark Hour, time stands still, water transforms into blood, uninvolved people are Transmogrified into coffins, the world gets a tint of green all around, and the moon becomes a lot scarier. No, it doesn't have a scary face, it just gets a little bigger and goes from pure white to golden yellow.

"Almost like it's made out of cheese..." Rei whispered to herself.

It was still creepy though, and while it complemented the rest of the scenery around them, it sure wasn't directly complementing them.

They weren't all that surprised Minato himself was indifferent towards this change on the world, but they all were mildly surprised Hamuko was walking around freely. She was also surprised as much as them. Hamuko only asked if they were also seeing the change to the not-yet-known Dark Hour. While Minato had an easy answer to that by simply saying that he has been through this for a while, Zen and Rei couldn't really come up with their answers to this phenomenon.

...Well at best, they did say they were used to such things. It still didn't prevent them from being suspicious in Hamuko's view, but Minato just seemed to pass it off anyways. That, and it was the least suspicious answer for now.

For quite a while, the youngest... youngest-looking girl, whatever age defined her as, kept on hanging on to Zen. Her Zen, the one and only to understand her at this point. He had already noticed her discomfort as all four of them walked through the desert of coffins. Minato, as usual, didn't care about it, while Hamuko was mildly grimacing. Perhaps having new people show up in the Dark Hour like that was an experience for her.

Rei had once thought she was hearing the screams of someone from a far off street. It sounded like that person was in trouble... but she had once dismissed it as her imagination. Up until another person was screaming in pain, and that time, their curiosity had hit their peak.

"Don't worry about it."

They both inhaled sharply. It was Minato that said it. And to Rei... it almost sounded like it wasn't Minato at all.

"Wh... why?" She meekly asked, no doubt hurt from his blunt and callous statement. By her side, Zen had stared back at the blue-haired student, almost ready to voice his disagreement in the idea.

"Well, once you hear those screams," the new voice of Hamuko resounded, rather worriedly, "it means that they're already dead. You can't reach them in time, because if you tried... well, they're not there anymore."

Rei... could only nod at that, much as she wanted to protest. So death was... instantaneous when they were found like that. She didn't expect Shadows to make their moves quickly on an unsuspecting person. And if Hamuko was right, then it also meant they couldn't be everywhere at once.

Powerless. She hated that feeling. Just like last time...

She caught wind of Minato giving a glance at her for more than a few seconds before shrugging it off.

And then she wondered what did that mean.

* * *

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you."

All four of them turned towards the voice of someone that mysteriously showed up right behind the desk. A boy, probably a little shorter than Rei in height, who had his elbows on the desk, with his closed hands lifting his head, seemingly bored. Raven-colored hair, ominous blue eyes, and... clothes of black and white stripes, possibly prison clothes. They weren't sure what to make of him.

Within a snap of his fingers...

"Now if you want to proceed..."

...he suddenly showed up right beside Minato at the exact moment, surprising Rei and awing Hamuko at the trick.

"...please sign your names there." The boy gestured to the white quill and red folder as it opened up by itself. "It's a contract. Don't worry. All it says is that you'll accept full responsibilities for your actions." He cocked his head a little. "You know, the usual stuff."

Zen and Rei were certain they had never seen this boy among the Gekkoukan Persona-users before, back in that alternate reality. It was obvious he was connected to them, but they couldn't rack their heads well enough to know anything about him. Perhaps he was different to them? Maybe another kind of a Persona-user? Well, no, they probably should have mentioned him... or did they ever knew about him at all?

Before they knew it, their lost friend... and Hamuko, were both writing their names on the paper, the contract. Peculiar words were shown above their signatures.

'I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.'

As they stepped back, their signatures were shown next.

 _Minato Arisato_

 _Hamuko Yuuki_

...

Why were they writing in this contract, anyways? The boy said something about assuming responsibilities for their actions... or as he put it, 'the usual stuff'. Did they not think twice about the terms? Wait, are they even paying attention?

"As for you two," the black-haired boy glanced back at them, to Zen and Rei, "your fate has already been decided, but the power to change fate itself still resides within you."

Zen was the only one to speak up. "The power to change fate...?" Zen knew why and how the boy was knowledgeable about his status as a reaper of time, but...

The boy simply nodded, then turned back to the other two, with Minato holding the folder that held the contract. With grace, the boy held it close to him, seeming very satisfied with the contract written, then started to step back in the shadows.

"No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end."

Zen narrowed his eyes at that. He knew time was inescapable, but was it entirely true?

"You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes."

Rei stiffened a little. That meant no one could avoid their fear and avert their eyes from the truth.

The atmosphere around the dorm changed, and the same green tint of the Dark Hour was about to overcome the lights. The boy slowly began to disappear inside the shadows, as he lifted what was left of his arm shown by the failing lights.

"And so it begins..."

And finally he vanished, leaving the four of them alone, with the atmosphere of the Dark Hour fully set again. He had given no answer as to what was going on, not even to them. Rei was almost able to feel frustration in Zen, and that's because he had an inkling that the boy knew something. She couldn't blame him. She was just as confused as she-

"Who's there!?"

A familiar voice, sounding like a young woman, ringed in their ears. There, from the wall glass, one brown-haired girl in a pink slim jacket watching them carefully, yet looking on high-alert. Rei focused on the brown eyes she used to see back in that time, but she had no idea what was with her, why her breathing was ragged, why her body was shaking tensely... and why her arm was vibrating near the holster of-

"A-ah, we're transfer students here! We're totally innocent!"

Rei yelled out of sheer panic from watching the girl's movement. That was definitely one of those Evoker things Yukari and the others carried! If she was planning to... then that meant she perceived them as intruders!

"T-transfer students?" An incredulous response came from the shaking brunette, and as they expected, she still seemed suspicious of them when she glowered.

"W-we really are! Like, super honest!"

Then she pulled out a few pieces of food from her pockets.

"H-here! I'll offer my friendship takoyaki! Or, or my peaceful yakitori! Ah, um, friendly-peaceful takoyakitori! Ah..."

"Takoyakitori...?" Hamuko tilted her head, not at all convinced. "Well that's one dish I'd be at a loss for words..."

The only ones who happened to be quiet were Minato and Zen, though they were still wondering about what was going on. She had hoped either of them would say something to diffuse the situation, but neither of them were able to help out much.

"What is going on here?"

Another familiar voice... all of them turned to the second person arriving at the lounge, gazing at the four with an unreadable stare. The sound of breathing from anyone, even the panicky Yukari, was all hushed by the new young woman entering. A word wasn't spoken for a couple of seconds.

" _...My Dread..."_

Sound suddenly returned to the headphones Minato had hanged around his neck, returning to play that favorite song of his. Lights inside the dorm began to shine within a split second in a gradual pace. The strange atmosphere of what supposedly seemed to be the Dark Hour vanished, not a sign of any green tints or blood around.

Mitsuru Kirijo, Rei remembered her as well, strode to Yukari Takeba's side. She still remembered how often she showed emotions, that is to say little, and was a bit strict in charge of keeping SEES in track. Minato was said to be the field leader, in charge of exploring and fighting the Shadows inside the labyrinths. Maybe he was going to do the same, too?

"I didn't think you all would arrive so late," the redhead spoke up. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo." Yeah, definitely the same person, Zen and Rei noticed. "I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." And Yukari too, right?

"Ah, I'm Hamuko Yuuki," the red-eyed girl bowed before turning to the ensemble. "This one here's Minato Arisato."

The blue-haired boy nodded quietly.

"That one's Zen Kurozuki."

The tanned young man just grunted.

"And this is Rei Kimishima."

"Nice to meet you!" Rei cheerfully greeted with a corn dog raised.

"Ah, yeah. Hello," Yukari hesitantly nodded at the sudden shift in the group's tone, giving a small smile. "I'm Yukari Takeba. I live in this dorm, too. You said you were all transfer students?"

"They're correct," Mitsuru responded, tone not changing much. "After the controversy I heard, it became a last-minute decision to assign them here. They'll eventually be moved to their respective dorms."

Yukari glanced at her with a questionable look. "Is it okay for them to be here?"

Mitsuru gave her own small smile. "I guess we'll see."

If it was about them experiencing the Dark Hour like not too long ago, then Zen and Rei probably had no trouble adjusting to this dorm, but... are they really going to be assigned to different dorms after a while? Or...

"For now," the redhead spoke up again, "it's getting late, so you should get some rest. We'll show you to your proper rooms, so follow us carefully."

"Okay," and a rare comment from Minato once again had simplified their decisions.

Zen and Rei knew that they were obviously hiding something, maybe from the Dark Hour, or was it something else? They didn't happen to know, since they were dropped off in that train with hardly any answer to work with. But if Minato was truly the subject that they were told to watch over, then it'd meant they'd have to do whatever it takes to stay here in this dorm. He might hold a clue as to what their situation was, even if they didn't know them.

So... they were staying here, with him, attending Gekkoukan High. Well, that doesn't sound so bad at all! She was going to live a life she barely had the chance to live with back then! And she's doing it with people she once knew of... okay, maybe it might be a bit painful that they all forgot about her, but a life like this was...

Fantastic...

"Rei, are you coming along?" Zen snapped her out of her reverie, showing that everyone else was heading to the stairs. Yeah, a life like this...

"Coming!"

* * *

 **April 7, 2009 – 2 Days Left**

 **Early Morning – Rei's Room**

"Mm..."

Morning rays were peeking through the window, and she heard the birds chirping right outside, along with the constant sound of automobiles driving by on the roads. It was hard for her to open her eyes during mornings, but mornings did serve a reminder that her next day was happening, whether or not she knew it would be a fantastic day or a long and dull time.

But she had one of the best dreams ever! There she was, at one point, sitting on one end of the long table with Zen just behind her, along with a long line of five-star, top-class meals right in front of her! Armed with a gleaming knife and the shining fork, she savored the entire set! There were so, so many that she even forgot what her first meal was like! If only reality, if only her life had a wonderful and peaceful moment like this!

...But perhaps that was a dream too big. And a fantasy too far out.

Yet, why should she complain? She knew how small her world was compared to everyone's own, larger worlds. It was even pointless to think of a fantasy that couldn't be created, instilled unto reality, where people had their own dreams to worry about. No matter how great and large it was, it was meaningless to think of an ideal time for herself as the world was considered harsh.

...Well, dreams of delicious meals don't necessarily have to be her biggest dreams.

Her one other dream, though it was more like a wish, was granted, one she secretly desired the most: seeing familiar faces all around her as she was restored to life. Even if it wasn't possible, if there was the chance that she would find herself on her deathbed just to see the people around her, she would pass away with the greatest smile she could give.

Okay, so maybe that didn't happen. She was already dead before and she couldn't change that.

But here she was, in a life she was given to live again. Rei had felt the purest joy from a miracle, but she had also felt a strange gloom hanging on her. The joy came from how her life didn't happen to be as well-lived as everyone did, but that she was instead alive again with a few of her friends around her. The gloom was from those very same friends not remembering a thing about her or Zen, or even anything from the Culture Festival Labyrinth.

That... and it felt so _wrong_ to take a chance in this new life.

But... was it really wrong? Zen even admitted that a resurrected soul from the afterlife wouldn't be a problem, as long as the procedures are stable, such as a body functioning properly to house the revived soul. He didn't even held anything against anyone for being revived. In fact, just being summoned to life by whatever force out there isn't a reason to think differently about her. If she still wanted life, then life she was granted, and he didn't mind.

And he even said it would make him happy if she was somehow alive...

So that's why she considered this wish fulfilled. A life where she could enjoy it with her friends. A life where she no longer suffered from an illness that ate through her body. A life she deserved to live. This was a big dream, one that was turned into reality.

And... it's all thanks to...

 _Knock knock..._

"Rei-chan, are you in there?"

Ah, seems Yukari woke up as well.

"Yeah, I'm awake! Hang on!"

The young transfer student scrambled from her bed and marched to the door tiredly. Mornings tended to put people in a slow pace, she knew. Opening the door to allow her friend in, Rei saw the familiar girl in pink walk her way in, only to stop after glancing at Rei for a reason.

"Good morning," she greeted, smiling. "You still look like you're not up and about yet."

Rei gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I just woke up. Sorry... I'm not a good morning person..." Though it was the first time she had felt so sleepy in a long while...

"That's okay," Yukari assured the smaller girl. "Yeah, it feels a little early. It's not my usual routine, but I wanted to see how everyone was doing so far, starting with you."

She was talking about last night, Rei knew. Not that it mattered much for now, since everyone involved seemed to be keeping a lid on it.

"You look okay, though," the brunette continued in a bit of relief. "Nothing really happened on the way here, right?"

"Um, yep! Everything was fine!" Well, being alive counts as 'fine', right?

"Okay, good," Yukari nodded, not divulging any further. "I'm gonna go wake the others up in just a moment. You get yourself ready, then wait for us downstairs, alright?"

"Right!"

With all that said, Yukari took her leave, and Rei was alone in her room again.

No one really knew her. No one knew Zen as well. Was it because this was a time before the entirety of SEES was formed (as proven by Minato's appearance, though she couldn't say about Hamuko)? They all acted unfamiliar to them, and even acting suspicious when they carried hints as to what was going on. For now, it felt like she and Zen were alone in this world, even if those they considered their friends surrounded them.

But that's fine. They can be friends again, right?

So... back to business. Her room on the third floor, and quite plain-looking with the chosen decor. As Mitsuru mentioned, there were indeed some of her belongings in this room, even if they really weren't her belongings in the first place. They're mainly essentials for her daily life, like hygiene products, a few books, and casual clothes. Of course, seeing that there wasn't anything else to do with them when they were given to her, she had to make the most of it for now.

She felt bad for it, though. It's like she was borrowing without asking. Being given gifts while never saying a word to the giver.

At any rate, this could do well for the next couple of days on trying to adjust here. For now, she could get herself ready...

...It was strange, thinking about going to school for once. Being restricted from her disease and having her confined in a hospital sure did wonders to her dream of a school life. She had gone to school once, if the labyrinth counted, but that was mainly a fun festival that was without the education. That, and it was unpleasant at times with all those fights they had to get into. But here she was, starting her new life as a transfer student in Gekkoukan High. Well, it isn't Yasogami High back in Inaba, but it was something.

She might see the silver-haired boy too someday. Right?

For now, she had to watch over Minato. Whoever sent that letter knew what was going on, who Minato was, and why he was important. And she could do it while going to school with him. The many thoughts of being with her friends... it was a wonderful opportunity!

* * *

 **Morning – Gekkoukan High Entrance**

"We're here! Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. Hope you like it!"

Zen gave a small smile that showed his appreciation to the beauty. Rei was just like a little kid, watching the shiny school and the cherry blossoms flying around with a dreamy smile. Hamuko nodded at the scene, already loving the school with an eager smile quite unlike the other times she showed it. Minato only gave him his traditional look of boredom that was contrasting everyone's faces.

Yukari giggled. Maybe this group of transfer students weren't so bad in being friends with after all.

* * *

 **Afternoon – Classroom 1-B**

Zen quietly glanced at Rei, who fiddled around with her pencil as she eagerly listened to their teacher.

He had found it odd that he himself should be attending school as well, if only because it seemed out of place for a god to learn. Gods did not need to learn, not by being confined into the rooms of lecturers. Gods could easily learn the world by simply watching over the mortal humans that existed, be it in wars, achievements, and downfalls, so a master of time like him writing on test papers for a good grade was a little discouraging and questionable, compared to the tastes of defeat towards his enemies. He knew he would find the notion to be blasphemous ever since they read that mysterious letter he was given, and while it was as he expected, it was starting to tax on his patience a little.

Perhaps that was why he found Rei to be his saving grace at best.

To her, the atmosphere inside the school was what she desired all this time. People tapping on their pens and pencils, scratching the lesson sheets with them, the small chatter among her classmates, and the explanations of the teachers themselves. What she wanted the most out of it was her friends, something she dearly wanted to cherish as she was confined in the hospital. She wanted to spend her life with each and every one of them as she lived with her education in hand.

And here she was, giving an everlasting smile as the hours passed on by, feeling very fulfilled that this chance at life was given to her. No drawbacks, no rules applied, nothing of the sort, except for that one favor the mysterious individual asked of them.

Watch over the Fool.

She couldn't be any happier, watching over Minato Arisato, one of the favored people back in the Culture Festival Labyrinth.

And just seeing her like this as they sat next to each other, Zen was certain that going through an education with her wouldn't hurt.

Now, if she was able to do basic algebra, on the other hand...

* * *

 **After School – Chairman's Office**

"It's pretty unusual to see you at school, Chairman."

Yukari hummed as she stared at the club advisor of SEES, who was skimming through the files, those of the transfer students, he picked up from the office. If anything was to be said of Shuji Ikutsuki, he had a 'peculiar' sense of humor as he worked in the school grounds. Even so, the efforts he placed to his work were outstanding to say the least, but despite this, not that many people would see him around, not as long as he had other businesses to work with, most of which weren't mentioned often.

Mitsuru was also reading through the papers of the other students, ruby eyes rolling through the information. Taking the information to the best minds around would uncover the many mysteries of an individual, and regarding that, there were certainly a number of secrets she had yet to uncover of the four transfer students that came on by at midnight.

"When Mitsuru told me about them," Ikutsuki smiled thinly, "I couldn't contain my curiosity."

"Then," Yukari muttered, "do you think they're also...?"

"It's almost certain," Mitsuru made her confirmation. It was hard to tell with her stern face being shown instead, but she was equally surprised from the events last night.

"This is no doubt such a strange case, however," the Chairman offered his thoughts, seeming neutral. "For four people holding the potential to show up at our doorstep, it's almost like they were meant to come here in the first place."

Yukari looked at him oddly. "That's the weird part. We've never had any possible members before, but four more just... popped up. That's not normal, is it?" And if that happened to be normal, then she might as well consider the 'hidden hour' to be as normal as it could get, too.

"The other thing that concerns me is how they were unaffected by common conditions," he hummed. "Those who experience the hour suffer from such and such. Memory loss, disorientation, and so on..."

"Yet they arrived at the dorm as if the effects were of no big deal," Mitsuru put in her thoughts, eyes narrowing. "But, a group holding the potential being transfer students sounds less likely to be a coincidence. However, aside from certain exceptions, such as Kurozuki and Kimishima being long-distance family related, we don't have a lot to prove they are connected to each other in any way."

Regardless of her words, she still had this feeling there was something... off about the reports of those two. It was a feeling she couldn't place well, but it was indeed suspicion under a different kind. Perhaps some other time, when things were calm, with no sign of foreboding around, she could find the truth between Zen and Rei.

"What about the other two, then?" Yukari inquired a little hastily. "Minato and Hamuko, I mean."

"Both are from a tragic accident ten years ago," Ikutsuki plainly commented, fixing his glasses. "It's possible they may have bonded over their loss, but that's only an assumption we can run on. Overall, it's likely that the four that gathered are instead two separate groups that experienced the hour through different means."

Their gathering was not normal, that much they could tell, and yet they had no other way to understand the purpose behind it. No, at best it was partially a coincidence, and it's what they could settle on for now.

"Then... what should we do?" The archer in pink asked a little tensely.

"For now?"

The Chairman gave a passive smile.

"Well, we can only watch over their activities."

* * *

 **After School – Naganaki Shrine**

Rei merrily swung her legs back and forth on the bench as Zen stood next to her. The quiet atmosphere of the shrine made it a lot easier to think about a number of shenanigans that happened so far. If anything, it even made it easier to talk about their perspectives on the current events since not a lot of people they knew would listen in. Well, there weren't that many people around the shrine, but same difference either way.

They couldn't have Minato listen in, more importantly. He may not have remembered at all, but he was certainly well-minded if it came down to it, so if he was listening in, he could suspect them on first notice. Not that he would automatically warn the others, but still.

"So we're in April 2009," Rei began summarizing the recent events that transpired. "We were somehow revived by this 'force' thingy, and the mystery man wants us to watch over Minato-kun during the year."

"So it would seem," Zen confirmed with a nod.

"Well we don't know how we got here, alive and all," she sighed, running into the first roadblock. "I understand why I was revived, but I don't know how. Hey Zen, any ideas?"

"Not at all," he answered honestly. "We traversed to the afterlife once our roles were over, but this strange summoning that brought us back from the graveyard had ignored our deaths when they were finalized. That is all I know."

"Then you don't know what really happened?" Rei pouted.

"I am a master over time, and one of those who lord over Death," Zen stated the facts. "I'm afraid I do not have much knowledge over the workings of Life itself. Even to this day, it continues to impress me with their unexpected outcomes."

So not even Zen knew of what had affected them. Well, that's a mystery for another time.

"Ah, there's another thing I need to talk about," Rei spoke up after straightening herself, before bringing out a tray of takoyaki. "About SEES, when do you think we'll be able to join in? If you're the master of time, then you know the timeline, right?" There had to be a time where Minato joined in, so maybe they could too, right?

Zen nodded in agreement. "When we join, it will be as early as we bear witness to a particular Shadow. The Arcana Magician."

"Mm... hm? Ish dat a shuper Shadow? Like the FOEsh?" She tried to ask with her mouth full.

"It's an Arcana Shadow. I believe we'll be able to encounter one within the next few days. Perhaps SEES will explain themselves once we see it."

Rei gulped down the lunch pleasantly. "So now we have to wait? No problem! We can have fun with Minato-kun and the others while we wait!"

"The others..."

Zen gave a strained grunt when she had mentioned them, their friends. Incidentally, he knew of one person belonging to the group that wasn't supposed to belong there. He was certain that in all of his lifetime, including the forgotten time in the Culture Festival Labyrinth, he never saw the soul of-

"Huh? Look, Zen! A butterfly!"

He snapped out of his quiet reverie when Rei suddenly exclaimed about something... a butterfly? As she pointed out, there did appear to be a blue-winged butterfly floating between them. Rei giggled at the beautiful insect as it glided elegantly next to her. Not once was she ever close to one as her life in the hospital prevented her from seeing the world, so watching such a lovely creature in this time—

"Eh? Ah, k-choo!"

Up until it landed at the apex of her ticklish nose, prompting a sneeze from the not-so-dead girl as the bug flew away from the blast zone pretty quickly. She winced a little. Were butterflies supposed to tickle?

"Hm?"

This butterfly... there was something strange about it. Seeing that it wasn't going anywhere, Zen curiously raised a hand right next to it, and after flying around it for a moment, the azure butterfly rested on the back on his hand. Once it did, Zen stared at it for a long moment, determining something about this butterfly, up until it graciously flew off from his hand and left to parts unknown.

He felt it, the small power that had streamed into him.

He was a god. Power of any source that streamed into him was noticeable, so it would only make sense a mortal like Rei wouldn't feel it. The question was, what kind of small piece of power had been given to him? No, there was an even stranger question that popped up afterwards.

What was that butterfly? What was it that gave power to him and Rei? It almost looked like...

"Zen? What's wrong?"

Rei had the look of worry piercing into his soul, and Zen wasn't quite sure how did she manage to do that. Still, it seemed she was unaware of what had happened. He was about to fill her in on what happened to him, where this power came from...

...No, maybe some other time, he could answer. He had to understand the mystery of that butterfly himself, first.

"No, it's nothing."

What was going on...?

* * *

 **Evening – Dorm Lounge**

"Hey everyone! We're baaack~! Oh, and I got some takoyaki!"

Rei cheerfully brightened up the lobby of the Iwatodai Dorm, unintentionally throwing off the tense atmosphere Minato had managed to somehow cause when he walked in some minutes ago. By her side, Zen sighed, already noticing how Rei calmed the chilling winds in the room while being unaware. It seemed that Mitsuru was also present in the area as well, along with Hamuko, both on different sides of the table, reading their own choice materials.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted them plainly. "You two spent a lot of your time outside. I was only expecting you to return a little earlier before it got dark."

"We stopped by the Naganaki Shrine for today," Zen informed her. "If it was inconsiderate of us, then I apologize."

Rei put up a face that looked a lot more apologetic on sight. Were they in trouble now?

"It's alright," the red-haired senior nodded. "I didn't mention it before, but from now on, please make sure you return to the dorm before evening."

"Okay!" And Rei was eased of her worries, bringing out another tray of takoyaki with high spirits. It did earn an eyeful from both Hamuko and Mitsuru, but they had shrugged it off. It seemed she was more comfortable when she was eating something.

"Oh, Hamuko-san! Wanna try one?"

"Huh?" The red-eyed girl jumped a little when she was picked out by the younger-looking girl. "Oh, sure. Thanks."

"Yay! You'll love it!"

Zen smiled as he watched Rei connecting to the group with her antics. Better to see her spreading her joy like this than see her shed bitter tears...

"She's awfully endearing," Minato commented by his side, seemingly amused for once.

The dark-skinned time lord nodded. "Yes, you could say that."

If only he knew...

* * *

 **April 8, 2009 – 1 Day Left**

 **Dark Hour – Meeting Room**

Shuji Ikutsuki leaned onward, making his interests more obvious with the glints on his eyes.

"So all of them are still asleep, hm?"

After being shown proof for their expectations, Mitsuru made no emotion shown in her face, but even she had some trouble believing the possibility. Yukari was not so discreet when she looked worried, and she had every right to be. The three all double-checked the active cameras in the four rooms, trying to let go of their disbelief, and all four cameras had shown the same students sleeping soundlessly on their beds.

If all four transfer students were able to experience the Dark Hour like this at the same time...

"This is seriously wrong," Yukari tried to sum it up. "Is this even a coincidence anymore?"

"It might be more than simply coincidence," the Chairman nodded, also skeptical of the four. "It might be that they all have experienced this at once, or in groups of two. Or perhaps, they had all converged prior to coming here in Iwatodai." His smile of intrigue was no more perfect. "And yet, it might not be."

"At best," Mitsuru confessed, frowning, "all we have are conjectures as to how they experienced it. We do not know how they came to, but they may be willing to explain once they decide to."

"How are we gonna get to them, though?" Yukari sighed. "We can't walk up to them and drop the act right there..." That could cause more than just a train wreck if it wasn't handled properly.

"For now, we can only keep on watching," the redhead answered. "Perhaps within a week, if they manage to settle down and nothing else goes wrong, we'll see what we can do with them."

As much as Kirijo would dislike to admit, waiting only served to prolong problems, up until they spiraled out of control. On the other hand, confronting the matters first hand without any prior knowledge nor having a state of peace surrounding them would wind up with the same results, if only a lot worse with the confusion and all. So it was best that they wouldn't step into the latter plan and stick with the former.

Watch and wait, until the time is right.

* * *

 **Dark Hour - ?**

A soothing color of blue that blanketed the world around...

An image of a pub reminiscent of centuries past...

Two young-looking children with differing appearances of professionalism and entertainment...

"...Huh?"

Zen slowly woke up from his slumber, still feeling drowsy from his resting hours. The first thing he noticed was how he woke up from a table of all things when he was definitely resting on his bed earlier. He was a reaper of time, and there shouldn't be a need of rest in the first place, but that only came as a problem in his human form. Were he in his true form, on the other hand...

The second thing that came to mind was the area surrounding him. A familiar, _nostalgic_ array of blue, he had realized. This was...

"Not the Velvet Room, I'm afraid."

And he was responded by an... unfamiliar male voice. Turning to that voice, he found someone, no, two twin siblings standing behind the counter. One of them, the brother, wore modern formal clothing somewhat equivalent to a businessman, were it not for the blue jeans and the flat top hat. Meanwhile the sister of the two had the appearance of a young witch, having a pointed hat with a dress showing white traces around the waist area.

Different residents? No, this wasn't the Velvet Room, if the boy wasn't lying, but why was it so similar?

"There is a reason for this," the boy managed to read the expression on his face again. "The Velvet Room is where you all once gained assistance from there. The nostalgia you came to feel is the reason why this place is modeled after the Velvet Room."

"I... see," Zen mumbled, still curious about their choice for a tavern. He did hear that the Velvet Room would usually shape itself to the role of its guests, but he hadn't witnessed its forms to the two guests he knew of. The one he knew of, where stairs were distorted and gears continued to shift around, it was only like that due to the rift he himself had created before, but...

"Hm... Zen... can I have that...?"

Another visitor... Rei? As he suspected from the voice, once Zen turned to the other end of the dining table, Rei was peacefully slumbering on the table with her arms surrounding her head like a nest. In this world, consciousness and unconsciousness would switch around as their bodies in the material world adjusted to their resting hours, so he was honestly impressed Rei managed to sleep when she was still conscious. In a way.

He lightly tugged her head once, twice, having her snore a little in her awakening. She rose up and straightened herself in her seat, stretching her arms around and giving a long yawn before wiping off the droll. He found it a bit endearing to watch her wake up like this, being whisked away from her pleasant dreams. Immediately after, however, Rei pouted for some reason.

"Mm... I wanted the last bite of takoyaki..."

Rei still appeared to be tired despite the fact that she should be awake. Perhaps it was out of instinct?

"Huh?" Her half-shut eyes finally open wide the moment she noticed a table she wasn't sleeping on before. "What...?" She turned to Zen. "Zen? Where...?" And finally, to the world around them. "This place..."

"We welcome you to the Velvet Tavern," the girl behind the counter greeted, her voice also matching her appearance. "In this space that we created, where assistance is granted and information is exchanged, we have brought you here."

"I am Rai," the boy introduced himself easily with a bow. "It's nice to meet you."

"And I am Luna," the girl bowed as well. "It is a pleasure to be your acquaintance."

"The... Velvet Tavern?" Rei mumbled in confusion, trying to wrap her head around this turn of events. "Wait, it's not the Velvet Room?"

"The Velvet Room is formed by our masters there, as a guide for those intertwined by Fate," the black-haired girl, Luna, informed. "The Velvet Tavern operates somewhat differently. In here, discussions between your experiences are permitted, as another way to step closer to the secrets of our world."

"Though we may not be reliable at times," Rai groaned, a little doubtful at their services.

"At any rate," Luna continued the main topic, "we have brought you here to tell you of what has happened so far."

"...Perhaps you can tell us what we need to know, then?" Zen requested. They could be a great help to them. If they were reliable.

Rai crossed his arms with a small frown shown. "There's not a lot that we discovered right now. So far, what we can tell is about how you two were dragged into this."

"There is the mystery of that letter you were given," Luna took point. "Whoever wrote that to you might be knowledgeable about the on-goings of this timeline."

"Oh yeah," Rei made a thinking expression. "The person who wrote the letter might know something..." She then gave a disappointed look as she gripped on a lock of her hair. "But we don't know who it is. And it doesn't seem like that person is going to show up soon..." Was it ever gonna be soon? She didn't know...

"Nevertheless," Zen spoke up, "if he or she holds the answers we need, then we need to confront them when we can." Yet, it wouldn't be such an easy task, he knew.

Luna nodded slowly. "It might take a while to understand who that person is, but perhaps we can be assured that the enigma will come to you in the best possible time, especially considering the circumstances."

Zen understood the idea quite a lot. This was a new timeline, but with both Zen and Rei involved in the matters of SEES, and this person that was most likely watching over them also knew that his own appearance in what was to come could possibly derail a number of events, and not in the way the enigma would like to. To be fair, the unknown person wasn't the first to think of the consequences, but that's because Zen knew that after having been placed in time here along with Rei.

And that one other girl that wasn't even in there in the first place...

"There is also one other thing we need to talk about."

Rai gave a serious look towards the two guests.

"Zen. Rei. You should know by now that there is power residing in both of you."

Though Rei couldn't understand what power he meant, Zen had a certain... inkling of what it was. That strange surge of power he felt, ever since his conversation with Rei near the Naganaki Shrine... and that butterfly...

"Whether you'll awaken it sooner or later," Rai continued in monotone, "that is all up to both chance and choice. Though, I suppose you will awaken to it soon."

"What are you saying?" Rei inquired, feeling a little nervous. They're saying as if they-

A dense light suddenly erupted on both of the abnormal students' visions, suddenly feeling dizzy for one moment until the fog disappeared the next second. Immediately they rubbed their foreheads in the instinct that something went wrong in their head.

Luna sighed, annoyed at something in particular. "Ah, it seems we have run out of time in this dreamscape..."

"I figured our time would be short," Rai responded, equally disappointed. "Oh well, I suppose we will have to wait for our next intervention..."

Their next intervention? Was the Velvet Ro... Velvet Tavern going to pull them in by the twins' volition? More importantly...

"We're being pulled away?" Zen asked uneasily. He wasn't that aware of the customs of the Velvet Room, or the Tavern in particular. The pulsing white fog returned for a second and disappeared yet again, sending another wave of dizziness to them.

"You can be forced back to reality when reality calls for you," Luna informed gently. "Of course, we really have no intention of keeping you here throughout the day as well. It causes problems, quite a lot of them."

"We don't want to get in the way of your school days, after all," Rai chuckled softly. Rei wondered for a moment if missing her school days was a bad thing in general.

"For now," the girl in blue then spoke, "you must at least try to find the answers as you are awake. Perhaps they may be in the places you expect the least."

"We will meet again," the boy in blue responded curtly as well. "We'll try our best in our own end as well. Just play your part, and perhaps our assistance can be very necessary." Both of the twins gave a bow. "Goodbye, Zen, Rei," he then said.

"Wait!" Rei cried out, trying to breeze through the overtaking light. "What do you mean when we have—!?"

She couldn't voice out the rest of her words once the world was filled with white.

* * *

 **April 9, 2009 – Full Moon**

 **Dark Hour – Rooftop**

In the corner of the rooftop in this deadly night was a blue-haired teen, looking at his first opponent with an unreadable stare.

In the other side was a monster of nightmare proportions, a 'masked' pile of arms, all of them wielding a wide array rusty swords.

The bystanders that were spectating this event were none other than a popular second-year archer, a cheery second-year brunette, a quiet time-manipulating demigod, and a void-belly child. Yukari, Hamuko, Zen, and Rei to be exact.

The blue-haired student almost forgot how things went on by in an instant. All of them suddenly awoke to the sounds of smashing and crashing from the ground floor. Neither of them knew what it was at first, but with Yukari barging into his room at first meant that something urgent and dangerous was taking place. Zen and the other girls followed soon after once they left their rooms to investigate the sounds. The archer didn't have much time to explain, other than that they needed to leave quickly through the back door.

It wasn't pleasant to note that the back door wasn't safe from whatever was behind it.

They fell back before taking the stairs in an attempt to stay far away from the attacker that broke in. Minato looked too indifferent in the situation, but he and Hamuko were notably tense, while Rei, out of pure fear, gripped on Zen close as they were making their getaway. At this point, what child wouldn't?

Reaching the rooftop, they were seemingly able to take a breather... that lasted for no more than ten seconds.

The enemy that was after them, it managed to climb onto the rooftop. Forming just below the haunting moon was that monster, having no intention to hesitate, for it was a natural predator. It was going to kill them, devour them, and be done with it.

Yukari stepped in. She was still scared, still shaken from the enemy that was looming over her, but her will allowed her to move, to take action against this supernatural opponent. The gun-thing she had earlier, after pointing the barrel to her head, however, she was once more paralyzed on the possible outcome that this could lead her. After all, Death was not an easy thing to accept.

But they knew. Zen and Rei, they knew what that Evoker was meant to do. And unfortunately, Rei could only call out to Yukari, in hopes that whatever she had in mind to end this nightmare, it would be done swiftly and quietly.

It didn't last when Yukari was swatted away with a backhand, dropping the artifact from the attack.

So now it was Minato, taking hold of the 'weapon' Yukari dropped, up against the enemy under this full moon.

What did this night mean to him? What lesson did this hour have in store for him? All he knew was that Death lurked around them, surrounded them. There was no telling of his fate if he picked up the 'gun' Yukari dropped and used it on himself. It was a reenactment of suicide, of the desire for Death, yet... he was comforted by it.

Not because of Death would embrace him, but because it was willing to help.

" _Go on."_

When he pointed the artifact to his temple, shaking nervously... he felt Hamuko's look of uncertainty, he felt Zen's cold stare masking his warm belief, and he felt Rei's resolve, almost as if she knew what was the purpose of the act. Then he looked over to Yukari, who gave him a look of hope, yet laced with fear. Then he looked back at the monster dead-set on destroying any life it encountered.

And then he smiled. Death would not stop him. He _knew_ _this for a fact_.

"Persona."

 _Bang!_

The moment he pulled the trigger on the Evoker was the moment the boy had created his Journey. What was supposed to be red blood and dead organs coming from the other end of his head was not so, instead illuminating blue shards popped out from his head. The barrel of the Evoker continued to exhaust smoke from its usage as a blue mist fiercely encircled him like strong gusts as unimaginable power gathered his being.

A silver-bodied soul began to materialize beside him. Most of it was mechanical in appearance, save for the silver-haired head, or rather the blackened remains of it. Its body was composed in a kind of steel, with what appeared to be a voice box in its chest. Hanging around its neck was a crimson scarf, hiding the physical connection between the head and the body, and attached behind the figure was a lyre, once gold in legend, but now only colored in silver.

Once its existence was confirmed by the blue-haired student, the figure spoke.

 _I am Thou... Thou art I..._

 _From the sea of thy soul, I cometh..._

 _I am Orpheus... Master of Strings..._

Minato felt a lot more calm. This spirit, this Persona... it felt like Orpheus was willing to protect them from the masked monster. But there was more to this Orpheus than anyone present assumed.

 _C-c-crack!_

"Agh...!?"

The blue-haired student clutched his head in pain, power like no other driving his psyche insane. In correlation, the mechanized musician radiated a more dense blue glow, an even stranger power stacking on top of Orpheus' presence. The glow slowly shone bright enough to blind the nearby individuals, forcing them to shield their eyes from the piercing light.

When it left, Orpheus' appearance was envisioned anew. No longer was its metallic body coated with silver steel, instead it was a stronger kind of enhanced alloy coated in red, with gold given to the limbs. The red scarf was also traded with a snow white scarf, the demonic-looking red eyes replaced with a pair of mysterious ones, its hair now looking more blond, and the valuable lyre carried behind it was also given the golden treatment.

And its new appearance proved to be very wrong for the right reasons.

" _Orpheus Telos?"_ Zen narrowed his eyes as a contradiction came in play. " _If I remember right, that's the Ultimate Persona of the Fool Arcana for Minato. Why is it in place of..."_

He stopped thinking to himself when Orpheus Telos made a sudden movement, taking out his empowered lyre with swift movement. A quick flick on the strings, and flames suddenly combusted on the surrounding area near the blue-masked Shadow. No, just calling them 'flames' was an understatement; it seemed like the huge sparks of fire managed to dance dangerously toward the multiple-armed Shadow, with more flames bursting from above it, barely giving it a chance to outmaneuver the attack...!

The Arcana Magician was then consumed by the reinforced Maragidyne. What was left of it after the smoke vanished were the blades. And they, too, were evaporating into nothingness for being part of the Shadow.

The ordeal of this night was over.

"Ah..."

With the surge of power receding, Minato noticed the red Orpheus giving a bright flash again before reverting to its previous form. The splendor of red steel and golden metal were no longer apparent on its silver body. And with the reversion of the form came another factor, for the stronger manifestation of his psyche was forced to hold greater power than he could manage.

The blue-haired student fell to his knees, too exhausted to maintain Orpheus' form any longer before it returned to his very essence, and alarmed the group around him. As Yukari and Hamuko raced to his aid, he felt his eyes too heavy to keep them open, being drained by the absolute power he showcased. The final though that ran in his mind before he fell into slumber was at least some people were still alive.

It was a thought that would change him for the better.

"Are you okay!?" Yukari called out to the unresponsive body, tugging him for a voice to ascertain his status. Behind them, Zen and Rei looked tense toward the sleeping soon-to-be leader. "Come on, say something!"

"He still has a pulse," Hamuko assured with a weary smile after gripping his arm. "He's only exhausted from... whatever he did earlier, but he's alive."

With that confirmation, everyone loosened up from the intense battle they watched. It seemed Minato was safe for now, as Zen and Rei thought and... and Zen quickly remembered that wasn't the only enemy.

Crawling up from sides of the dorm were slime-like figures, arms spreading about from their sludge forms. Though they bore the resemblance of the larger enemy earlier, being armed black masses with blue masks, they saw the new figures only having a pair of arms for each, and their masks were attached to their 'body'. They slowly trudged forward, intending to finish what the larger masked monster tried to accomplish.

Hamuko breathed silently. They couldn't die like this...

" _Wait, what about that gun...?"_

Looking onto the slumbering student's hand that loosely gripped on the object, Hamuko picked it up, earning a gasp from Yukari. This was what Minato used to fight off the giant earlier and destroy it. Maybe if she used it to defeat the smaller ones here...

She stilled her breathing for a moment. If she pointed that gun-like thing to her head... if she pulled the trigger... what's going to happen to her...?

" _No, I can't waste time. I need to save my friends...!"_

Showing no more signs of reluctance, Hamuko took the 'S.E.E.S.' imprinted object and pointed the barrel to her forehead as she carefully watched the oncoming slime things. She wasn't sure what would she become if she did this... but if she could pull off that same miracle that Minato performed... then she was certain she wouldn't die. It might have been even a fluke for him, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to help her friends from this...!

"Persona."

 _Bang!_

The similar azure shards Minato revealed earlier burst from the back of her head as another aura of blue surrounded her. This feeling of power, the light show centering on her, was it the same awakening that Minato had? What if she was going to bring out that musician again, Orpheus, was it? Or... was it someone else? Either way...

The power that was resting inside her bloomed, revealing a form that was similar... too similar to everyone's liking.

 _I am thou... thou art I..._

 _From the sea of they soul, I cometh..._

 _I am Orpheus, master of strings..._

The same Orpheus, but with notable differences. To make it more similar to Hamuko's psyche, the Orpheus that appeared from her bore longer, brown hair compared to Minato's version with silver hair. The torso was golden plated unlike the platinum metal the male counterpart had, and one bigger alteration was the shape of the lyre, formed as a heart instead of a traditional lyre the silver-haired Orpheus carried.

Yukari stepped back, hoping she wouldn't be a hindrance to Hamuko. "Another Orpheus...?"

"She has the same Persona?" Rei similarly wondered.

Zen grit his teeth as yet another contradiction rose. "No, something's not right..."

 _C-c-crack!_

"Ugh!"

Hamuko clutched her head in pain, power pulsing through her mind in rage, trying to break free. Unlike Minato's outcome, a different kind of power came to play, one that would be feared by many who had seen it. Zen felt it, the very same power that resonated with his own soul.

Death.

Hamuko's Orpheus shook and convulsed in terror, until a new entity split the outer body open and burst forth, scattering the shattered pieces of Orpheus. In the female musician's place was a more defined term of a monster; a long-vested humanoid, having a twisted image of a skull as a helmet, and chained to carry over half a dozen coffins behind it. This new Persona entered the field to savagely destroy its prey intending to harm its master.

Thanatos roared, and rushed towards the smaller enemies with nothing in its way. The sword the Persona held made quick work of the one on the left, slicing through the body and its mask with ease. The one on the right tried to make the quickest turnaround as it rushed behind the Persona. Fortunately, Thanatos was far more agile, proved by the Persona immediately grabbing the hand that tried to scratched it, and before the Shadow could even try to pull away, the black mass of an arm was crushed.

The body soon followed when it met the foot of Death.

Seeing no other enemies in sight, Thanatos gave a primal roar of victory, declaring to the world of its existence being reborn, before a flash of static blinded the people involved. The Persona reformed within the next split second, turning back into the same, female Orpheus that Hamuko summoned.

And even that Orpheus vanished within seconds.

All that's left were the people who were awake. Well, Hamuko managed to pass out right afterward, so that left with Yukari trying to take care of both sleeping students, while Zen and Rei tried to make the least amount of sense that went on right now.

Rei was found speechless. It was not the first time she had witnessed Death. She had already learned of this incarnation's existence when Minato first started using it against the Clockwork God. Feared, dreaded, but an enemy it was not, especially when Death was trying to save her in the end. No, not just that, but everyone else was involved. Death happened to be kept on a leash thanks to Minato.

Zen was the most puzzled thanks to the night that transpired, which only added more fuel to his ever-growing confusion. Orpheus Telos... the Persona Minato would only be able to use in the last of his days. How did he acquire the Ultimate Persona of the Fool Arcana, even if it only lasted for a mere minute, and had it take Thanatos' place? Not just that, why was Hamuko the one to summon Death instead?

They were spared to try to say anything when the doors to the inside were flung open, a weary Mitsuru and a bruised Akihiko running in. The Shadows they faced earlier must have been dealt with. That's a relief...

"Are you alright!?" Akihiko breathed, wincing from the pain the larger Shadow inflicted earlier.

"Hey, Zen..." Rei mumbled, hoping that there was something they could do.

"They should be fine," Zen softly responded, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "We can believe in them... right?"

"Y-yeah," came the younger-student's answer. Only they knew... how much Minato, everyone went through to save her...

The sound of slow clapping that gained everyone's attention in an instant...

"Very nice."

Zen glared to the child-like voice that managed to move in the Dark Hour. Yukari and Rei gasped to it, while Mitsuru and Akihiko shot similar wary looks to the new voice. This hasn't happened before, Zen knew, and that meant...

The voice indeed belonged to a child. Walking up towards them was a short individual, very young to be in a wasteland as the Dark Hour, yet too mysterious to be a normal person. With silver hair split into two waves from the center, a pair of purple eyes looking not too amused, and a robe as white as snow having circuit-patterned streaks of blue, the boy walked up to them very nonchalantly. Almost a little bored, if anything.

And by his side was a sheathed sword of unknown origin...

"Two Fools that awaken in one night is a magnificent show, I must admit," the child that held the sword remarked, "but such a show is yet incomplete, mind you."

"And who are you?" Mitsuru flared at the boy, who was known to be out of the picture right away. How was he awake during the Dark Hour? Did he also have a Persona with him?

"And why do you demean yourself to ask for my name?" The boy huffed, showing the fairest annoyance. "Knowing my name should be the least of your worries, Mitsuru."

"What...?"

Everyone cut their breaths short in almost an instant. How did this boy know of her...? No, had he already known of everyone on the rooftop?

"But that's a different matter," the boy chuckled, certainly enjoying the looks on everyone's faces, "and I am not here for that. I am only here because there is one thing yet to be done."

"Yeah, right," Akihiko snorted, trying to prepare for another round, "maybe you can tell us about why you're-"

The boy's glare cut him off, and his next words made sure. "Do you wish to wound yourself further, Akihiko? I will not stop you if so, but I wish to avoid it."

"Akihiko," Mitsuru chastised the boxer before another fight broke out, "you're already wounded from the Shadows. Don't be reckless."

The older student lowered his stance in disappointment and annoyance. "Tch..."

"Good!" The boy brightened up, sporting a grin that stood out from his serious face earlier. "I like being civil when I can. Now... as I saying, I need a favor from you, seeing that this night is still incomplete."

He directed his gaze to the tanned demigod, and for a while only silence fell upon the rooftop. Zen felt the boy trying to get his attention with no further words, needing something from him in relation to this 'incomplete' night, but what it was, Zen would have to ask straight out.

"What do you wish from us?" He asked to the boy, wondering what part was 'incomplete'. In response, the boy's purple eyes twinkled with expectation and gave a smile that was also hard to read.

His request just seem to make him all that more stranger.

"I want to see it, Zen... your true self..."

Zen blinked, twice. Though the boy's wording was meant to be vague at first, the master of time knew what the boy desired from him. However, Zen wasn't sure if the child's expectations should be held up well. Not when Zen himself didn't even know the entire answer to that. It wasn't his in the first place.

"Is it even possible?"

The silver-haired boy subtly confirmed his thoughts. "You were already granted a portion of his power some time ago. Not quite like the other Wild Cards, but enough to assume your identity like everyone else. The rest, you should know."

The tanned individual continued to stare at the boy, half-blankly, awaiting any other reaction. It seemed the boy was truly aware of the power he obtained yesterday, but why the child knew, he couldn't fathom. Still, the boy was asking for it to be awakened for his own personal interest (possibly), and to prove that the demigod himself wasn't normal either.

He geared his head to Rei, a puzzled face slowly switching to a calm smile, showing the trust she placed in him, and proving that she understood what the boy's request meant to Zen. He then turned to the members of SEES, giving their confused looks while silently demanding an answer, and hoping it wasn't anything too destructive for the group. Finally, he turned to the boy, now ready to make a decision.

"...I understand."

"Kurozuki?" Mitsuru asked, throwing a soft glare to the first-year for an answer, but Zen paid no attention. Instead, he peered to the Evoker that belonged to Yukari, the object now held by an unconscious Hamuko.

"Yukari."

"Huh?" Yukari snapped out of her stupor when he called out to her with a clear stare. Her thoughts were all over when she tried to understand the circumstance, however.

"Takeba," Mitsuru called out to the fumbling archer, noticing Zen's request. "He needs the Evoker."

"Ah, o-okay," she mumbled a little dumbly, berating herself for not following on. She turned to Hamuko, who still weakly clutched the gun-like artifact, and took it from the unconscious girl's hand, before getting up and walking toward Zen. With her hands trembling, it still seemed that she was unused to holding the Evoker in her hands, but her eyes did show a hint of resolve, now believing that Zen would be alright with it.

Zen grabbed the Evoker from her palm and turned to the mysterious boy. He eyed the Evoker for a moment as he felt warm steel. It had been used for a multitude of times in this night, and now he was going to be another user of it as well. How strange. He was the reaper of time, powerful enough to change the flow of time at will, and now he was here as a human, wondering what could be inside him...

No, he realized what it was. He _knew_ what it was.

He lifted the barrel to the left side of his head. He noticed the boy nodding once, placing his expectations in this very moment. Rei grimaced a little when Zen made no hesitation to aim the Evoker to his head, but then gave a nod as well, knowing in her heart that this would turn out okay.

She believed in him. Even back then, everyone believed in him. And now, he believed in himself.

"...Persona."

 _Bang!_

This burst of power, Zen would not forget. The same kind of power given by the butterfly he was approached by earlier. Everyone's potential had their own identities, and his power was no exception. He had already known it considering who he was, so the potential that rested inside him was just as the boy mentioned: his true self that lurked beneath his soul.

And the true self inside Zen roared out.

A body made with the darkest metal with joints and limbs appearing to be mechanical, covered by a top armor of gold, shaped like spread wings on the back and concealing wings on the front. A gray ribbon hung around its neck with an emerald adorned on it, along with the sets of gloves and boots being stitched with green jewels in a similar fashion. One of the more prominent features was its head, the face of it modeled after a clock. It floated magnificently as it appeared.

After a breathtaking silence, Zen's Persona spoke up.

 _I am thou... thou art I..._

 _I am the guidance of the afterlife..._

 _I am Chronos, timeless reaper of Death..._

Zen allowed his true self to linger in this world while noticing that the appearance of Chronos awed the boy just a little (he seemed to be capable of hiding his emotions well). After seeing his nod, Zen dispelled the Persona and had it recede back to his mind, the returning power flowing like a gentle river to him. It made sense that he would have the Persona Chronos, but what confused him is why the boy wanted to see Chronos if he knew it had already existed. Did he just want the proof?

"Yes," the enigmatic boy spoke up after a long period of silence, with Zen unsure if he actually read his mind. "With this, I can truly place my faith in you, Zen. I know you and Rei will make a difference for once."

"And just who are you?" Zen inquired, wondering if he would be so kind as to reveal his intentions.

To his dissatisfaction, the boy quietly walked back to the edge of the rooftop with not another explanation offered in this night. Then, unlike a normal individual, he spread his arms out in a fashion akin to a person ending his life with a long fall. The others did feel alarmed, but Zen knew it would not be the last time he would see him. And as he figured, the boy's next words confirmed it.

"I am Waltz, the boy on an endless Journey. We will meet again, members of SEES."

And the young-looking Waltz fell off the edge, soon to disappear in an instant. Zen almost wanted to snort at how dramatic that was. Still, the boy really liked to play around, since he answered Zen's question by his exact words...

Rei was the first to react after Waltz vanished to parts unknown, running to Zen and asking multiple times if he was hurt. Zen didn't hesitate to answer back, smiling for a moment as he patted the girl's head. In his honesty, he believed their presence in this new timeline would somehow make their situation worse by unnecessary changes, but it seemed nothing was remotely amiss except for that boy... and Hamuko...

Zen turned to the unresponsive duo of Minato and Hamuko, neither of them having a scratch. Then he turned to the ghastly moon that hung on the haunted sky. Finally, he turned to the current, puzzled SEES members, the ones who were wide awake.

'You will be given one year to watch over a certain person. Go forth without falter, with your heart as your guide.'

Zen sighed. This was going to be a new Journey with Minato...

"I believe we need to talk..."

* * *

 **Finish!**

 **And so concludes the first chapter of the first arc. I... actually am at a loss for words on how I managed to get this out after nine agonizing months of trying to fix through my block and work with my job, but I don't think it's that new for everyone else, probably. Ah well. I'll try my hardest to get with the program. Just pray for Fate to actually let me write.**

 **There is no doubt going to be some confusion involved in how I will work this out, but bear with me as I go along. There are some important things I will answer right now before anyone asks, however.**

 **"Isn't Rei supposed to have toned down her desire for food once she regained her memories as Niko?"**

 **Yes and no. She may have regained her memories, so she can't instinctively munch on a donut to hide her feelings. But there is something still inside her that warps her between the two personalities. Plus, she actually has a stomach instead of a black hole. All of this will be explained in a later chapter.**

 **"Shouldn't X have forgotten?"**

 **Here's a hint; instincts, reflexes, and even strong desires are still part of memories. This should give you a clue as to what happened to their memories.**

 **"Isn't Zen still Chronos?"**

 **Yes and no again. He's not as powerful as he once was after taking Rei to the afterlife (and before that, relieving the Clockwork God's duties), but he will regain most of that strength.**

 **"Will the cast of Persona 4 show up as well?"**

 **Give it two years and possibly three arcs, and we'll see the P4 side once more.**

 **"What about P1/P2/P4A?"**

 **I'm not sure. I'd have to find a way to squeeze those characters in, but for now I'm not gonna bother. As for P4A, they will show up, but the question is when. Although, I am gonna need to watch the playthroughs if I ever decide to. I'm so zetta slow...**

 **"Will there be Original Characters?"**

 **You just witnessed them. But there will be more. Just don't expect any more than Luna, Rai, and Waltz for now. Still, I might change my mind. Who knows? I dunno. Ask Fate.**

 **Oh, and I guess I should go for a few announcements here. Puella Arcana Somniator Madoka is still ongoing, but I am going around revising things because these damned forum formatting problems are way too annoying (in fact, I'm not sure if I'll bother with forum uploads for a while). However, Moonlit Rose is going to be on hiatus after I release Chapter 3, and I might return to it if Volume 3 is finished. I'm still not sure what the hell am I gonna do with that Neptunia fic, but it may as well be on an indefinite hiatus for now.**

 **And now for one final thing. Thanks to those that stuck around long enough. It might not seem like much as a promise, but I will try to get myself together once more.**

 **Now then...**

 **Until the next full moon...**


	2. Life and Death - 02

**Huh? Oh, hey, I actually updated... that's neat... and it's still not good enough, since I still have a lot more stories to work with... oh boy.**

 **Now then...**

 **Let's continue the Journey! Start!**

* * *

 **? – The Velvet Room**

Blue-themed furniture, different levels of light, three strange individuals...

"It's so nice to see you again."

Their vision regained some clarity as they found themselves sitting on their chairs of this familiar room. Minato was the least surprised of it all as per appearance while Hamuko had been startled by the change in location before relaxing. That's right, they were contracted to this room earlier, but for what purpose they didn't know for now. Just behind the round table was the long-nosed and large-eyed Igor, with the fancy black suit and white gloves. By his left stood the woman in blue named Elizabeth, dressed like an elevator attendant in parallel to the theme of this room. By his right was Theodore, also donning an outfit belonging to an elevator attendant.

Igor's smile never wavered as he spoke. "You became unconscious after awakening to your power. It's nothing to worry about, though. So just relax."

Hamuko found it more harder to go against his words despite her ever-growing tension, so she took a deep breath. It wasn't like it would be helpful to against her mysterious benefactor, anyways. Beside her, Minato slowly tilted his head as he spot some words being used, but he allowed the Proprietor of the Velvet Room to continue speaking.

"By the way," the odd man hummed, "I see it was Orpheus that heeded your callings. That power is called a Persona. It is a manifestation of your psyche."

"So that's what it was," Minato responded quietly, putting the pieces together.

"Our psyche?" Hamuko echoed the man's words, still lost.

"It may take some time to fully comprehend," Igor said pleasantly. "A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships."

Then the appearance of their own kinds of Orpheus that saved them, they happened to be theirs. But there was something wrong with them...

"That being said, your power is still weak."

Once again, Minato gave no indication of his confusion, but Hamuko had trouble trying to keep a straight face. Still, they couldn't deny his words that their forms of Orpheus felt lackluster compared to their transformations...

"Wait," Hamuko spoke up, still skeptical about his info, "when you say weak, do you mean Orpheus isn't a strong Persona?"

"Hm," Minato closed his eyes for a moment of quick-thinking. "Then I'd say there are more stronger Personas available to us, like the red Orpheus I had earlier."

He had felt it before, the difference between the silver Orpheus he summoned first, and the crimson Orpheus that evolved afterward. In fact, just that power alone might have been the reason why his exhaustion kept up with him, he figured. Hamuko thought similarly; that Persona in black that transformed from her Orpheus seemed to be a different Persona, but she wasn't sure what it was, other than it was pretty feral.

Igor moved on with his explanation. "When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links—your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that."

Social Links... emotional ties with others...

...They had to make friends to get powerful? No, there was something more deeper to it than he had let on...

"Time marches on in your world," Igor spoke up, preventing any more questions being asked. "I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord."

The Velvet Room was suddenly fading away...

"Until then, farewell."

* * *

"Hm... now this is a surprise."

 **? – The Velvet Tavern**

The Velvet Tavern... Zen shifted from his seat to a comfortable position as his earlier drowsiness was washed away. That was quite a long night, especially when he didn't have the time needed for explanations like a normal person after experiencing the Dark Hour, being told to ask when either Minato or Hamuko would wake up. By the other side of the table, Rei sat upright and stretched around from her slumber. She looked around the room for a bit, muttering 'blue' all over and realizing what place they were in.

Rai smiled, having quipped the earlier comment. "It's nice to see you two again."

Zen grunted, having almost expected this. "We were bound to meet you again, as you said."

The younger student turned to see the black-haired twins in blue clothing. "Oh! Hey Rai, Luna!" She greeted vividly.

"Welcome back," Luna responded with a bow. "I suppose the night has shed some light over our predicament?"

The tanned student nodded slowly. While many new questions had been presented, they had at least learned something from this night. It wasn't much to make any concrete assumptions, but it was enough to move on.

"Then we should begin while we can," Rai responded, noting their limited time for interactions in a dimension like the Velvet Tavern. "Perhaps we can start off with the Personas that have been summoned?"

"They were cool, I can say that!" Rei cheerfully exclaimed, raising a corn dog... and realizing that she had none in the first place, causing her to sulk before noticing something. "Oh, but there was something weird with their Orpheuses, or something. Minato's Orpheus turned into his... his Telos form, right? I think that was it... and Hamuko's turned into Thanatos..."

Still on edge, Zen answered, "Their Personas, their kinds of Orpheus, were meant to evolve to their stronger forms against the Arcana Magician. But even that's not normal for them..."

Rei lifted a finger to her cheek. "It's not? Were they supposed to fight without evolving their Personas?"

"Minato's Orpheus was meant to evolve into Thanatos, one of his Ultimate Personas," Luna clarified, getting Rei to pop a question mark. "Thanatos was supposed to reveal itself, not Orpheus Telos. That's how it was in the original timeline."

"Huh? But then Hamuko-san..."

"And now you've come to another contradiction, namely Hamuko Yuuki," Rai responded warily. "This Persona-user has never appeared in the previous timeline, so her existence here is rather complicated and unfathomable."

"I knew it...!" Zen hissed, startling Rei enough to press her back to her seat. "That girl's presence is a clear anomaly of this timeline, of this universe in its entirety. Why is she existing now?" Not once had he ever seen her in SEES before, not once was she ever involved with the Dark Hour, not once did he ever notice her soul sparking to her ultimate powers! So why...?

Luna shook her head, disappointment clear in her face. "Unfortunately, we all share the same guesses as to why she's here. She is unknown. And until then, that is what she is. Now please, calm yourself."

Zen sighed deeply. It wasn't like him to get worked up over the most trivial matters, but to find someone whose existence defied any form of logic... who was this Hamuko Yuuki, who managed to summon Death as Minato once did?

"At any rate," Rai coughed, avoiding the mystery of Hamuko for now, "it seems there is something wrong with what Minato summoned in particular. It's like we mentioned, he was meant to summon Thanatos instead of Orpheus Telos."

"And that is one of our first hints to this abnormal timeline," Zen responded fairly, losing the heat of his tone.

"Didn't he have Orpheus Telos in the last timeline, though?" Rei wondered. "It would make sense if his Personas carried over when we traveled back in time right?"

"It is logical, but that is not the case," Luna shot the theory down. "If that was so, then Minato Arisato and Yu Narukami would have had their Personas obtained from the Culture Festival Labyrinth, but they returned to the same set of Personas just before that happened. Perhaps Zen knows better."

"It's next to impossible," Zen answered, still having knowledge of his previous life as the Clockwork God. "All unstable time rifts cannot allow individuals to carry over their experiences. What remains in their hearts are the only exceptions."

"But this wasn't caused by a time rift," Rai pointed out.

"Precisely. It is indeed time travel... so it may have been from after the Culture Festival Labyrinth."

"After that happened?" Rei tilted her head before showing surprise. "Ah, what SEES was doing after that was..."

"Trying to stop the Dark Hour from appearing," Zen finished her thought. "So I believe that Minato was able to summon Orpheus Telos because he kept it with him until the end of the previous timeline. But still..."

"Thanatos still would have shown up instead, right?" The younger student asked.

"Not only that, but Orpheus regained its normal form afterward," Luna noted before going under the counter to pick up a glass. "So we are not sure what has become of all of his Personas. It may as well be that Orpheus is the only Persona available to him, and that Orpheus Telos' awakening was linked to his past life. Either way..." She trailed off before wiping the glass.

"We don't know for sure," Zen concluded hopelessly. It seemed that everyone would be at a loss for what happened with Minato in that night. Regardless, there was one more thing he needed to ask.

Namely, the enigmatic boy named Waltz.

Rai nodded, picking up Zen's expression. "The one who is named Waltz, he is a Persona-user."

"He is?" Rei rubbed her head a little.

Zen gave a nod without hesitation. He had known about the boy... his past, his original family, how much he suffered, but he had soon disappeared from his sights when he thought the last of his life would be gone. The boy's soul never showed up for Zen in his previous life as Chronos. So how much was he involved in this timeline? More importantly...

"He is considered another contradiction," he responded after a moment of silence. "He hasn't appeared in the previous timeline, and we aren't sure what exactly are his motivations or his intentions. It's likely he only wished to see my power as a Persona-user, but..." Waltz said he had placed his faith in Zen and Rei after witnessing Chronos. Was he much more involved in the new timeline than Zen previously thought?

"He had said it would not be the last we have seen of him," said Luna, now filling the glass with some water. "So we may see him again soon, if he decides to..."

A pulse of white...

"Ah," Rei looked almost ready to panic before calming down. "Is this...?"

"It seems we don't have much time anymore," Rai sighed. "A pity. But..."

"We have covered up on some questions with this meeting," Zen said on a positive note. Arguments between people often gave way for answers, even if there are times where there were more questions than answers, but still, he could not reject the benefits of this.

Luna nodded, smiling. "We will be sure to invite you again if anything abnormal comes up. This is farewell for now."

"Okay then!" Rei cheerfully raised her hand. "See you later, guys!"

"Goodbye, you two," Rai hummed, waving as well.

Their vision was flooded with white, saying that their time in the Velvet Tavern has come to an end, that they were to wake up into the material world soon. Just before the Velvet Tavern was lost in their dreams, however, Luna's voice spoke out.

"Oh, and I just finished getting a glass of water..."

* * *

His mind was getting clearer... he wondered how long he was asleep.

Feeling someone's presence next to him, he tried to wake up with his stiff body. He felt sluggish, but he supposed that was the tax for the amount of power he used that day. Still, he was able to creak his eyes open, even if the room started to look too bright for him.

Huh. He wondered when was the last time he was in this hospital.

"Hm? Oh, you're awake!"

 **April 10, 2009 – 29 Days Left**

 **After School – Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, Minato's Room**

He turned his head to the small bundle of optimism sitting next to him on a stool, with a book held firmly in one hand, likely to pass the time. Rei smiled cheerily at his awakening, finding full of relief now that he wasn't playing dead. Zen didn't seem to be with her for some reason. Perhaps he was elsewhere?

"Are you okay, Minato-san? Are you hurt anywhere? Can you move? Are you hungry? You're not gonna fall asleep on me, are you?"

So many questions she was asking all at once... was she that worried? Minato blinked, wondering how well she was going to take this.

"Yes. No. Yes," he emphasized this with a quick sit-up. "Yes. No. Do you have any other questions?"

Rei's face turned to red in the heat of her anger, but hadn't said a word. It was obvious she was very worried.

"Hm..." She wasn't sure if he was actually chuckling. "Sorry, I'll try to not get unconscious again." She was still slightly annoyed, but she quickly showed her relief with a small smile, knowing he was still well. "By the way, how long was I out?"

"That's right," she affirmed the fact. "You were out since yesterday. You were sleeping after the Dark Hour came around and you destroyed the Shadow. Hamuko fell asleep too when she had to beat the smaller ones... oh!" She suddenly looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I guess you're still confused by what's going on, right?"

He tilted his head, his muscles finally loosening up. "You tell me."

Rei contemplated to herself once he answered. There were no consequences on telling Minato what had happened, right? Mitsuru only told her to remind the hospital staff that he woke up, but Rei wasn't restricted to do anything else, so she was sure she could give a short version of what's going on.

"Well, that weird moment where the world goes green and there are coffins everywhere?" The younger student then asked. "They say it's the Dark Hour. At that time, monsters called Shadows show up, and they're the bad guys. At least, that's what I heard." She first heard it at a different time, but it wasn't an important fact for now.

He seemed to be taking it well for now, despite her unorthodox terming. Either that, or he was that unreadable. It seemed pretty hard to tell when this happened to be the past era of Minato, Rei thought.

"So..." Her cheerful tone started to waver. "We have these things called Personas. We... we use them to fight against the Shadows that try to kill us. I think we're supposed to find out what's going on with the Shadows and how to stop the Dark Hour from appearing."

"I see," he responded neutrally. Rei figured he wanted her to move on with the story.

"Yeah," she hummed, still not sure what else to say. "Um... Hamuko-san and Zen have Personas too. They summoned them after you got unconscious..."

So they had similar powers too, Minato wondered. Hamuko, he had already figured when they met at the Velvet Room the past few times, but it seemed Zen was capable of holding one as well. Now that he thought of it, he didn't see Zen in the Velvet Room at all, did he? Maybe he was that different?

"...I'm sorry."

He blinked. Rei was suddenly apologizing with an unhealthy pout, but for what reason?

"I don't really have to explain these things," she explained, "and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to. But I wondered if there was anything I could to to help you, even if I could only explain some things. I guess everyone else can handle that a lot better right now..."

Minato shrugged. "You tried, at least. I should be thankful for that."

"Yeah... hehehe..."

Now she was laughing? As he looked at her, he noticed that her smile was broken before it could be any happier. Rei's behavior surely changed, compared to her vivid, big eater side she showed constantly. Did the events from last night change her? Before he thought about asking, she spoke up.

"You really remind me of him," she stated, trying to stop her heart from sinking. "He was quiet like you. He didn't blame anything on anyone no matter what happened. He never even blamed me for the trouble I caused him before. Instead... he helped me."

He remembered, back in the train ride, that Rei vaguely mentioned that he reminded him of someone important to her. To what extent, he wasn't sure, and even then...

"I'm not him."

A pained wince was marked on her face for his blunt statement.

"I... I know. But... it's okay."

He was not the Minato she knew. He had yet to be the Minato she knew. There was hardly a sign of his soft-spoken yet easygoing nature, where he could be friends with anyone and everyone despite making it look difficult. All he had was this robotic exterior that made him seem devoid of life. But given enough time, perhaps one day, when he could smile like the time just before he had said his farewells to her...

When he would laugh at the many misfortunes they got into, when he would look sad after acknowledging a tragic fate, when he would show his sharpened determination for the sake of the people he called his friends...

"Oh... sorry," Rei sobered up a little, hoping that her tears hadn't been seen. "I was thinking of some way to help you, but I'm just talking about my own problems..." He wasn't him, but he would be...

"You don't need to apologize for it, Rei."

Rei blinked. It had almost felt like time stopped thanks to him.

Something in there... deep in his tone... was that...?

"A-ah, by the way!" She spouted, panicking oddly to him. "Mitsuru-san told me that I should get to her right away if you wake up. I probably wouldn't want to tell her that you were up for a long time."

"I see," he simply stated. "You can give her my regards, then," he added.

"Right..."

The younger student gently got up from seat, taking the book she was reading to pass the time, which Minato noticed that it wasn't really literature, but more like a diary. Ah, so she was only writing down her thoughts on the things that occurred recently, he surmised.

"Oh, another thing," Rei turned to him with a small smile. "Hamuko-san passed out like you since yesterday, and I'm gonna stop by her room first before I leave. Yukari should still be there, too, so we'll be around for a moment before we're done." Then she gave a rare, mischievous look as her smile turned brighter. "She said that you should call the nurse if anything comes up. I think you already know that, but I guess she really wanted to make sure."

He seemed to have an inkling that Yukari would suspect him not saying a word if any abnormal condition came up. He didn't know how to deal with a very unamused Yukari, especially if Mitsuru was notified and she became unamused as well, so he decided to follow along Rei's half-suggestion, half-warning with a nod.

"Okay. I'll see you later, Minato-san."

"See you."

And so she left without another word said, leaving Minato to his own business. After closing the door quietly and releasing the knob, Rei leaned on the nearby wall and gave out a shuddering breath, almost looking like she had seen a ghost. Even though this was a time before they had truly met for the first time, she was confused on how in the world did Minato sound so... warm and sincere...

"Zen...?"

"Did something happen?" He had been told to wait outside while Rei would talk to Minato, but after seeing Rei like this, now he wasn't sure if it was the best of her ideas.

"Minato-kun..." She gulped. "He shouldn't have remembered what happened in the Culture Festival Labyrinth, the rift, right?"

Zen raised a brow, very curious. "The rift was unstable, so he shouldn't have. Did he...?"

"No..."

She shook her head at the possibility. But while she wanted to smile at the glint of hope, she found it difficult to enjoy a single fragment of it.

"It's just... when we talked, we talked as if we knew each other so well..."

Zen wondered about that. It was true that even if memories were long forgotten from an unstable time rift, it was possible for Minato to hang on to both the more natural ones, and the ones he took to heart. For the former, it was like breathing without paying much attention to it in every hour, but for the latter, it would have him require to remember his promise well while making sure it wasn't related to the rift in any way.

The latter made sense, but the 'how' was on a different form. He talked to Rei as if they were long friends. But the day when he would be dropped into the unstable rift hadn't come to, and it was still too early to be this social. So the only explanation would be from this strange reversal in time the unknown man had set them up to. But how did a trickle of Minato's more social habits get restored? And...

"Wait," Zen blinked as his mind came to a wall, "he woke up just now..."

"Huh?" Rei tilted her head, unknown to the purpose of his acknowledging Minato's return. "Yeah, he did. Is there something wrong?"

He gave a fixed stare on her before sighing. Yet another divergence from the original timeline...

"He wasn't supposed to wake up on this day..."

* * *

 **(April 10, 2009)**

 **(Past Midnight – Iwatodai Dorm, Lounge)**

Of Personas, Shadows, and the Dark Hour itself...

Zen and Rei paid careful attention to the short explanation Mitsuru had given to them. They didn't have much time to explain, not when they had to tend to Minato and Hamuko, who were unconscious from the battles before, along with an injured Akihiko. But ultimately, they, or at least Rei (Zen had already known of its existence before), understood it well.

The Dark Hour, such a strange plane of existence that surrounded Tatsumi Port Island, or perhaps the world as a whole. During the time, Shadows would sometime manifest and prey on anyone that roamed through the world in its altered state. These Shadows were like the ones on the rooftop, where the two students fought before falling unconscious. Masked and deadly, varying in power, but dangerous all the same.

Their power of Persona was quickly brought up, with Mitsuru explaining that those with Personas are the only ones able to fight back the Shadows. It was rare for someone to gain this power, however, so the transfer students were counted as lucky to gain such power. But in Zen's case, it was only proven because of the child that asked for him to reveal his 'true self'.

There were so many questions at the time that Ikutsuki asked them to calm down and rest up, confirming that the Dark Hour wouldn't appear the same day, and that they needed careful thinking on their part as well. He then added that they might explain things better if everyone was safe and awake. Rei was mildly disturbed by the events so far (this Dark Hour seemed like the epitome of nightmares), but reluctantly agreed.

It wasn't the first time she had faced danger.

With medical care arriving for the unconscious and the injured, the two time-travelers were pushed to take their rest, seeing no abnormalities in them. And so Zen and Rei crawled to their rooms, their heads amidst their own seas of countless other questions that would give them a bit of trouble to sleep easily.

How Rei badly wanted the morning sun to just come up already...

* * *

 **April 11, 2009 – 28 Days Left**

 **Early Morning – Gekkoukan High, Entrance**

Minato sighed. It hasn't even been the end of first week and already trouble was starting to pop up. Oh well, he wasn't going to complain. Still, that much a mess on the first week and he still felt like he needed another day of rest. It was a Saturday, so maybe he might get some extra hours of sleep.

"Yo, Minato!"

He turned his head by his side to see a familiar capped person calling out to him. Junpei Iori had a wide smile on, seeing his friend again.

"So, what happened to you?" He spoke up, looking curious. "You disappear for one day, and now you look like you got through a bunch of nightmares. You did something?"

"Probably," Minato answered mysteriously. "I guess I wasn't used to this place just yet..." That, and fighting monsters in the middle of the night taxed on his health, but why bother with an unbelievable story?

The capped student chuckled. "It's cool." He looked around for a moment, trying to find someone in particular. "Hey, where's Hamuko-chan? Don't tell me she's in the same boat..."

"She seems to be a lot more exhausted than I am," Minato answered honestly. "I guess she's had it worse, but she'll be fine with better resting."

"Doesn't this kinda feel weird, though?" Junpei asked, a little skeptical. "You both got knocked out from the same day in the first week..."

"Hm... the doctors didn't say anything abnormal about us. I guess we really were just exhausted."

"Heh, I get it. Must have been from your ride as transfer students, right?"

"Probably."

"Hm? Oh, Minato-san!"

The two students turned around to see Rei walking towards them, with Zen following suit. Even after everything that happened, it seemed Rei was able to keep a strong smile on her face, Minato noted. Then again, Hamuko did possess a similar smile when they wandered through that alternate world.

"Good morning," Minato greeted to the two as Junpei looked on. "You two look like you're doing okay."

Rei happily raised a butter roll, appearing to be halfway finished. "We sure have! But..." Then she pointed to Minato with the hand holding the roll while having a frown. "That should be my question, Minato-san! You worried us for a long time, you know!"

"I was unconscious for only half a day," the blue-haired student sighed. Unfortunately, with Rei still giving a cute glare that would turn worse if she was provoked, he wondered if he was going to walk out of it quietly.

"There's no need to worry, Rei," Zen saved his friend by calming down his partner. "He's fine. You can see it too, can you?"

"I know, it's just..."

She trailed off... before taking another bite from the roll. No, it's alright. He was safe, sound, and alive. Nothing she could say now could change it. Since he only passed out from exhaustion, he must have went through the same thing in the last timeline. Still, the strange part that Zen pointed out earlier, about Minato waking up earlier than last time... he was surely fine for now, right?

"Uh... is this a bad time?"

"Huh?" Rei slowly looked up to the voice that had been standing there the whole time... and nearly dropped her bread. "Ah...!"

"Whoa!" Junpei stepped back at her sudden yelp. "D-did I do something wrong?"

Rei shook her head rapidly. "N-no, not at all!" There was totally nothing wrong! She had just forgotten that he happened to be there in the first place! And... Rei immediately calmed down. Junpei... doesn't remember her either. This was the past, the time before the existence of the rift, and the instability of the rift had everyone's memories gone anyways...

"Are you okay, Rei?" Minato then asked, turning the tables on to her. "It seems like you're the one I should be worried about." She had been spacing out a lot since yesterday, maybe more so than their train ride to Iwatodai.

"Oh!" She sprung up in surprise, then meekly worded, "Sorry, just remembering something..." Then she turned to the capped student. "Anyways, you're friends with Minato-san? My name's Rei Kimishima!" It would still take a while to get used to her fake name, unlike Zen.

"Zen Kurozuki," Zen cut in quietly.

"Uh, yeah," he wasn't sure what to make of these two, but they looked pretty friendly. "The name's Junpei Iori. You're the others who went with Yuka-tan to school just a few days ago, right?"

"Yeah!" Rei nodded enthusiastically. "She's a good friend!"

"You got that right, Rei-chan!" Junpei returned her enthusiasm. Minato gave a positive-sounding sigh, finding their upbeat attitude almost contagious, but welcoming.

"Oh, that's right," Zen spoke up, getting the blue-haired student's attention. "Yukari and Mitsuru want us at the fourth floor of the lobby this evening. She said it's important that we come."

"I figured as much," Minato answered. Well it would feel suspicious if he wasn't told about what happened two nights ago. Maybe the 'Dark Hour' that Rei mentioned in passing could be explained better...

"Huh?" Junpei now had a very peculiar-like look on his face. "What're you guys up to?"

Rei stiffened, remembering that Junpei had yet to get involved in the Dark Hour. He couldn't know just yet. "Um..."

"Possibly scheduling," the tanned student lied to him almost immediately. "We weren't aware that we had curfew when we got here."

"Wait, that's it?" Junpei's curiosity deflated. For all the near-empty list of things that interested him, Minato had to admit, seeing someone's own suspicions get shattered like that was entertaining.

"What did you think it was?" Minato chimed in monotonously while starting to find this conversation a little enlightening to him.

"No, no!" Junpei heartily laughed, dodging some bullets. "Just thought it was... well, actually, I hoped it wasn't."

Rei could only wonder what did Junpei even mean as he retreated into silence. The only thing that saved him was the chiming bell that broke out, getting him to chuckle at his weird luck.

"Well, we should get going!" Junpei switched topics in the blink of an eye. "Can't miss a class in your first month on purpose, right?"

"O-oh, yeah!" And to his relief, Rei brightened back up to her cheery self as she dragged Zen by hand to their school. "See you later, Junpei-san!"

"Right, later!" Junpei waved to the underclassmen with a smile before recognizing Minato by his side, and he almost grimaced. "Uh, dude-"

"It's alright, we're not in that much trouble," he simply stated, leaving Junpei to chuckled nervously. "There's really nothing important nor strange that happened the past week." Technically both happened, but not individually...

"Yeah, yeah," the upbeat student scratched his head as they marched on, letting the silly matter drop.

It wouldn't be so strange anymore, for them to get involved in a fated secret of the world.

* * *

 **Evening – Iwatodai Dorm, Lounge**

Both Zen and Rei waited patiently for their friend to arrive, the sounds of a ticking clock nearby, along with a pencil scratching paper, filling the silence. They were instructed to go with Minato to the fourth floor and meet with Yukari there, then head for the command room to talk about that night. It was ideal for the two time-travelers; in SEES' thoughts, the meeting would answer any remaining questions in a more proper conversation. Zen had already known all the answers since his time as the Clockwork God, but Rei wanted to hear it out from SEES themselves. Plus, it would kind of make the two less suspicious if they followed along, acting as if they hadn't known anything and everything.

"Let's see... maybe I should write down about Junpei for a little... and maybe something about this meeting once it's done."

Zen quirked an eyebrow on Rei's little gift. "A diary?" He actually noticed the notepad before, but he never assumed she was writing her past experiences down.

Rei nodded with a happy hum. "The notepad that person gave us along with our other things was empty, so I guessed he wanted me to write something on it."

It was to their confusion that they still didn't understand the mysterious person's motives. They had prepared all of their lodging and essentials, letting them slide into the dorm as transfer students easily. Whoever they were, they surely had a heart to care for them, even for little things like these.

"I was thinking of writing a story of our past times," Rei admitted, twirling her pen, "but I wasn't sure how I was going to write everything down just yet. So I went with talking about how things have been going on here."

He nodded. "I see. So you're making a memento that helps you remember our times here."

The small girl looked weirdly to him for his odd idea before sighing softly. "Um, yeah, that works too." Silly Zen, still not understanding some concepts... but then again, her diary could work as a memento of her time here, alive and with her friends...

The sound of the large doors being opened caused them to look towards the entrance. Minato Arisato, the Fool in his Journey, looked around for a second with an impassive face before closing the doors behind him. He then took a few steps ahead before noticing both Zen and Rei sitting on a couch, with Rei holding a notepad, the same one he saw before in the hospital.

"I'm here," he greeted quietly to the two.

"Hey there, Minato-san!" Rei exchanged their greetings.

"Welcome back," Zen intoned, standing up. "We were told to be heading to the fourth floor of the dorm for our meeting in the command room. Do you have anything to take care of first?"

The blue-haired student shook his head. "We can get started."

* * *

 **Evening – Iwatodai Dorm, Meeting Room**

To Minato, if anything, the room didn't seem to look like a command room, what with all the furniture placed around. In fact, he was sure it was meant to look like a normal kind of room, but they happened to call it the 'command room' since it came close with the large supercomputer on the left wall. Currently, it was not operating, since there wasn't a use for it.

The door of the command room opened up to reveal Minato, Zen, and Rei, guided by Yukari as they walked in.

"Ah, there you are," Shuji Ikutsuki sat up from his chair. "I'm glad that you're all okay. The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you." He then gestured to the seats around him. "Please, have a seat."

By his suggestion, Rei took the couch on the right, where Yukari and Mitsuru were, while Minato and Zen took the cube chairs on the left, with a silver-haired student sitting on one of them.

"Oh, before we start," Ikutsuki piped up, remembering something important for Minato while he pointed to the silver-haired person beside him. "I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko."

Akihiko put up a small smile, still not used to the bandages hidden under his uniform. "How ya doin'?"

"Could be better," the blue-haired student sighed. "Maybe another night might clear up the lasting headache from that... one night, but I'll be fine." Everyone seemed to be aware of the situation from that time, he figured.

"Well, it's not a lot to take in," Yukari responded before smiling. "Though, you don't look like you'd worry too much."

"He's so calm, it's kinda cool," Rei threw her coins in, knowing just how fearless he was against the most pressing situations.

"And mildly disturbing," Zen added, also voicing out everyone's thoughts, but to the tanned student, he had already known of Minato's calm personality to an extent.

Ikutsuki nodded, feeling everyone ready to move on. "Okay, let me start off by asking you this." He pressed the rim of his glasses before continuing. "Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?"

Minato hummed to himself for a moment once the Chairman asked that. Well, it's not a bad start. "Maybe not right off the bat, but I can believe it."

"Just like that?" Yukari grimaced a little. "No second thoughts on how it works?" That was way too apathetic to a world that turns its monsters against him.

"I figured what it was before, but I was never sure about it," the blue-haired Wild Card clarified. "I have been experiencing that moment for a while, to be honest." He took into account the slightly shocked looks of everyone present, except for Zen, who managed to look neutral.

"Then you know of what goes on in the nights?" Mitsuru asked him for a complete confirmation. "When in that time, the streetlights go out, coffins were everywhere..."

"Blood was everywhere, and no one seemed to be present as well," he finished, sighing. He then noticed Rei shivering a little, still afraid of the darkest part of the world. "At first I thought it was a sudden hallucination. Only after at some point would the world return to normal, then happen yet again in the next night. I figured there was a time limit to that thing each time it appeared. I'm sure you know what it is, then."

He wasn't sure if it was necessary to tell them that Rei did the explaining back at the hospital, but he dismissed the idea as it wasn't so important.

"You would be correct," the red-haired senior confirmed. "A time period hidden between one day and the next, that's what we call the Dark Hour."

More than 24 hours... a period between one day and the next...

"Hm... after everything that's happened, it's a lot easier to understand."

Rei gave a heartily smile. That's her leader...

"But it doesn't explain why people disappear during the Dark Hour," Minato added, pointing out something. "But I guess this involves with it being a 'hidden' time period?"

"That's right," Ikutsuki nodded, a little cheerful in knowing that he was quick.

Akihiko decided to take over. "Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins. But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting." He stood up, giving a serious look to the blue-haired student. "You saw those creatures. We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin."

Minato nodded stoically. "That explains the coffins. And the Shadows?"

"Well, it's our job to defeat them." The boxing student smiled. "Sounds exciting, huh?" Well, not the explanation Minato was hoping for...

"Akihiko, why are you always like that?" Mitsuru chided him, getting up with a frown. "You just got hurt the other day!"

"P-please don't fight," Rei gave an uneasy smile, trying to calm down the two. "We're in a meeting..."

"Rei knows what's right," the Chairman mirrored the smile. "Besides, Mitsuru, he does his work well."

It took the two a second before they sat back down, with Mitsuru still giving a fierce glare at her friend while Akihiko looked away, trying not to dare to meet her gaze. With Ikutsuki sighing afterward, Minato figured that the three's history may have been something like this on a weekly basis.

"Do they actually fight often?" Rei whispered to her archery friend. It was a common thing back in the labyrinth, but it seemed it was also common way before that.

Yukari sighed, wondering how to explain their connection without overstepping. "They're close friends, and I guess it's what they do. That's all I know."

"Long story short," Ikutsuki proceeded the conversation, "we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad—SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows." He then gestured to Mitsuru and himself. "Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor."

"The Shadows we talk about often," Mitsuru took control of the conversation, "they feed on the minds of their prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

"But there is a way to confront them," Ikutsuki then led the discussion. "Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Such people have the potential to awaken powers that can fight the Shadows."

"The power of Persona." Minato wouldn't need any form of clarification for this one.

A nod. "Yes. That's the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."

"I get it." The power to defeat monsters hidden in the dark... how fictional-sounding. But could he deny what was shown to him, especially when he participated in it?

"I'm glad you're quick to understand," the Chairman smiled. He had his suspicions right; Minato was an easy person to talk to, it seemed.

Now knowing that all was explained, Mitsuru stood up from her seat once more, this time making a few clicks on one of the briefcases that were lying on the table. She opened it up, revealing a few important items for the newcomer to see. Now, their intentions shone.

"What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us," Mitsuru asked, earnestly hoping for his assistance. "We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

Was this really a turning point in life? He felt that way, once she had shown him the same kind of object that he used to save everyone on the rooftop. Even then, it wasn't something he could easily walk away from. Not because he didn't care, oh no, but rather there was something strange about it.

He needed answers. There was something wrong with this. And yet, it seemed no one here knew of what was wrong. It was a maddening feeling, trying to think there were answers being kept from him, yet honestly believing no one in the room had any response to his questions. It was why he hadn't even bothered to voice them out. It was something only he could hope to understand.

So why walk away from it?

"I'll go with you."

He already figured it would lead to this answer, but he realized it wasn't out of obligation. He felt... compelled to go with them. Like he had suddenly found every reason to be with them. Not because of his own questions, or because they wanted to. He wanted to help them because he simply wanted to.

And those were the questions he wanted to ask, of why he suddenly felt so... attached to them, even if only slightly.

It was something he would try to understand for the rest of the night.

"Although, if I may ask," he spoke up, hoping no one would see his further silence as a response. "There are two other cases here. Who do they belong to?"

He shouldn't have expected much of an answer from them. He glanced to Zen, then to Rei, both of them locking eyes. From their silence, it seemed he wasn't the only one trying to make the decision. The two happened to be a little tardy on their final answer.

"Zen Kurozuki also happens to be a new Persona-user like you," Ikutsuki explained, fixing his glasses. Ah, then that did answer the question of if there were others, aside from Hamuko as he learned during the Velvet Room trip earlier. The Chairman's tone for his next words then sounded unsure. "As for the other Evoker, well..."

"Have you made your decision, Kurozuki?" Mitsuru voiced to the tanned student, first settling with him.

Zen almost accepted it right away; he was already involved in it, maybe a lot more than he so desired, and he just couldn't ignore the very people he made friends with back then. But something important had caused him to ask one more question.

"If I do join, what will be of Rei?"

She had the potential, she could possibly be a Persona-user, but everyone seemed to pretend to be unaware for the most part. The members of SEES then glanced to the pale-blond girl, who was swinging her legs around until then. She immediately felt flustered when all eyes were on her, despite knowing what Zen was getting at. Yukari had the look of regret, but the others seemed stern-faced on the younger girl.

"...She has the potential as well," Ikutsuki reminded, trying to smooth it out. "But in honesty, it falls to her to make those decisions, and—"

"I'll go."

The whole group looked a little incredulous to the girl's sudden decision, concerning how the events from that night could have easily shaken her up. But Rei wasn't a normal person, not unaware like everyone else. To their stares, Rei looked back to them, resolution showing in her usually timid eyes.

"I want to be with Zen wherever we go," Rei clarified. "If I have the power to help him... no, if I have the same power to help everyone, then I want to do so. Not just helping Zen, but with Zen helping me, too."

"Rei..."

She gave a reminiscing smile to Zen.

"You saved me before... I want to at least return the favor, Zen."

"...Alright."

The mixed reactions from everyone answered well. Yukari felt too shocked to even give a smile, wondering what did Zen save the little girl from, but found their closeness very endearing. Akihiko had a more-subdued look than the archer, instead looking to the floor, hiding a broken smile. Mitsuru was the most attentive, learning that there was indeed something with them that happened in the past, but was more than wise to not comment on it. Ikutsuki was the one giving the small smile of relief, knowing that everything was all pleasant.

Minato was the one with the rare smile. But everyone else was too distracted to comment on it.

"Then I suppose there are no problems?" The Chairman asked the new recruits. To his relief, all of them nodded in confirmation with Rei smiling vividly. "Thanks for taking part, you three."

"Sheesh, and I was this worried for nothing," Yukari sighed, finally able to drop the weights before smiling. "Welcome aboard, you guys."

 _Flash!_

Minato blinked. He was about to voice out what the flash was before realizing he couldn't move a single muscle in his body. No, not just him, everyone else was frozen in place, as if time had affected them entirely. What was...?

Suddenly, he felt something inside his body filling itself with warmth. He couldn't explain why, until sprinkles of light appeared in front of him to form a blue card. The Fool Arcana, he inexplicably recognized. Once it showed itself, he heard an echoing voice...

 _I am thou... thou art I..._

 _Thou hast established a new bond..._

 _It grants power for your Journey..._

 _Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Fool Arcana..._

And the blue card that represented the Fool vanished into a pocket-sized mist, and hovered towards Minato, until he felt it being embedded deep into his soul with no surge of pain. All he felt was the greater warmth of it.

A bond... an Arcana... and his Journey...

The moment he tried to think of these terms for himself, however, time had slowly returned to normal. It felt like he was able to move again. But not only that, it seemed no one had noticed the moment. Was it only to him?

"To be honest," Ikutsuki was sheepishly admitting as he was fixing his glasses, "one Evoker was meant to be for Hamuko Yuuki, but..."

"Has she woken up, Takeba?" Mitsuru asked. She had known the answer, but it felt easier to ask for someone's view.

"Afraid not," the girl in pink admitted, frowning. "She's still out like a light."

"That seemed to be a strong Persona she used, was it not?" Zen inquired as casually as he could. He already knew Thanatos and Orpheus Telos were equally powerful, just in different elements.

"It surprised me when she was capable of summoning that," Ikutsuki responded. "I don't think she could have lasted under the pressure of such a Persona." He then paused before turning to the blue-haired student. "Though, his is just as powerful."

"It doesn't feel like I still have that kind of power, though," Minato shrugged, still able to remember the Orpheus he had in that night. "I saw it change to its silver form before I passed out. I don't know if the red one still works..."

"Well, you can see for yourself when we get prepared tomorrow," Akihiko chuckled, really wishing he could move around just a bit more. "If you're lucky, you'll be able to find more Shadows to test your power in."

"Akihiko..."

"Sorry, right," he groaned under Mitsuru's frustration in her tone. He had gotten very unlucky in trying to keep his body in top condition with that battle. And just when things were starting to look up...

"Um, what's happening tomorrow?" Rei pointed out. She was thankful that she was quick to catch on this time.

"During the Dark Hour, an intriguing kind of place opens up," the Chairman answered in their place. "That place is called Tartarus, and it's home to some of the Shadows, like the ones you all saw earlier."

"We were planning to take you there if we had enough members to participate," Mitsuru continued on. "Luckily, we have more than enough to explore Tartarus."

Rei hadn't felt too disturbed, since she heard about Tartarus as a summary during the Culture Festival Labyrinth incident, hilariously by the same people that had explained to her just now. Regardless, she gave a quiet hum to the thought of exploring that place, whatever the so-called labyrinth was. Beside her, Zen didn't look too obvious to tell, knowing full well what Tartarus was supposed to represent.

"It's nice to know you're thinking hard about this," Ikutsuki spoke up, reading their faces carefully, "but we can save that for tomorrow. It's best if you get a well-deserved rest." None of them were prepared for the exploration at all. It was all for this meeting, and they understood it. "As for your assigned rooms, well..." Then he gave a smile like no other. "How about you stay here? I don't know what the holdup is, but it seems to be working out for us," he chuckled.

The newcomers weren't able to tell why, but Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Yukari all dropped a sweat with unpleasant looks on their faces.

"Holdup? But wasn't that...?" The archer shook her head, trying to not pry on anymore. "Oh, never mind. It doesn't matter anymore..."

Regardless of whatever problems they had, they had found themselves talking about other topics while being carefully reminded about tomorrow's work.

On her bed, Rei was the only one nervous about what was going to happen next. Her and Zen's time-travel placement, the introduction of the mysterious Hamuko Yuuki, and the boy named Waltz... She could only hope tomorrow was going to be a smooth exploration of Tartarus...

* * *

 **April 12, 2009 – 27 Days Left**

 **Early Morning – Gekkoukan High, Entrance**

"Hey, man! You look okay!"

It was the day after getting hospitalized since that night. Minato probably warranted some attention for being absent like that, he figured, so he gave a glance to the boy that spoke up behind him. The brown-haired student smiled his way.

"Minato Arisato, right?" He asked. Almost out of the left field, Minato thought.

"Yes, why?" He wasn't showing that much courtesy, but he figured he could play along with this guy.

"Well, it's a good thing to hear you're doing fine," the brown-haired student responded. "When we heard you and Hamuko-san got knocked out earlier, you kinda put us in a bit of a frenzy."

"Ah, that." It made sense that he got some popularity out of it... "How bad did everyone react to it?"

"Not much, actually. Kaz thought you went through some supreme training regime and collapsed."

He didn't know who Kaz was, but he had saved the thought for later. "Really?"

"Nope. He was like us, worrying about you. But since you look okay, Hamuko-san might be just as fine."

The transfer student gave an amused hum, a rare emotion of his being shown to the world. The talkative student didn't seem to bother asking about it, if his curious stare meant something else. It was replaced by a grin.

"You know," the brown-haired student chuckled, "I heard from Junpei earlier that you're pretty close with Yukari-san. What's up with that?"

Minato raised a brow. That was all he was here for? "It wasn't just her. I was with Zen and Rei when we got to the school."

"Huh," the boy folded his arms, shifting his bag around. "Should have figured. Those two seem pretty fixated on you."

He noticed. He just didn't really care enough to think about it.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter," the student then said. "I'm looking for someone with a little more experience, anyway." That really was all he was here for, then. "By the way, I'm Kenji Tomochika."

"Minato Arisato," he returned the gesture. "Is there anything else?"

"Nah, just that." Kenji rubbed the back of his head before grinning. "Anyways, I gotta get going. Later."

The charming boy then raced towards the doors. At such a speed, he must have been in a hurry for something else aside from the bell, which did not ring just yet, Minato figured. Behind him, Zen and Rei walked up to them, the younger student looking curiously to wherever Kenji ran off to.

"Is he a friend of yours?" She finally asked. Minato only shrugged, not even sure if they were considered friends at this point.

Zen knew otherwise. Kenji's bond represented the Magician Arcana, so it was unlikely Minato would not involve him in his Journey, as minor as he was.

* * *

 **Dark Hour – Tartarus, Outside**

Rei held on tightly to Zen, once the world stopped changing itself and the building in front of them became the true horror of the midnight time.

Tartarus, the tower of demise that stood ominously in the port island. The nest of Shadows that imprisoned a number of secrets to its purpose. A labyrinth that consisted of multiple buildings sprouting from the ground with no indication of there being a 'main' building. There even were a few 'buildings' that look grotesque in style, and some looking like spirals. The blue lights that grew from them also added a level of mysteriousness.

The tower of demise stood tall enough to reach the skies above. Even from this distance, Rei could tell it almost reached up to the altitude of the airplanes she had seen before. But exactly how high was left to be determined. And even then, it was not what she was fearing the most.

This was Tartarus. And this happened to be their school.

"This is Tartarus," Mitsuru explained eloquently, "the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

Rei was still stunned by the impressive height, along with the location, that she couldn't really think of what to say. It was Minato that spoke up in her stead.

"If this is revealed in the Dark Hour," Minato began to ask, "am I to assume that it disappears when the Dark Hour ends?"

"Correct," the red-haired senior nodded. "Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."

"Our school is... a giant labyrinth..." Rei whispered in awe and fear. Awe, for its impressive detail and height that seemingly dwarfed mountains. Fear, for how it seemed to haunt the school grounds during the Dark Hour. Such a tower to exist in secrecy, as it was home to the many Shadows...

"Rei," Zen was quick to notice her uneasiness, "are you unwell?"

"I-I'm fine," the young girl insisted despite the signs of her body trembling. "This... this going to be okay..." Maybe. She couldn't tell what was worse: the Evil Spirit Club that drowned the entire world into cosmic, blood-soaked horror, or the Dark Hour that put the world into a silent standstill with an eerie tower. Ultimately, she wanted something less scary and more fun. Not that she was likely to find a recreation of Alice in Wonderland anytime soon...

"Be brave, Rei," her companion neared closer for a comfort of morale. "I'm here with you."

"Yeah, thanks." She chose this path. She was compelled to, but she figured she was going to get involved anyway. And so she shook off the last of her hesitation.

"Before we begin, we must be certain of one thing. Kimishima..."

Mitsuru focused their attention to Rei when the senior spoke up. Rei fidgeted a little at the mention of her fake family name.

"You don't regret your decision for coming here." It was not a question, Rei noticed.

"No... no, I don't." She was already used to it, involved in it. That was why she was going to show her resolve.

"That's good. In that case, you must prepare yourself."

It was the object that was held in her holster that Rei was directed to wield. The item that could change the fates of those who wander in this twisted dreamscape. She pulled it out for everyone to see, and stared at it blankly.

"So... I just need to pull the trigger."

Rei stared uncomfortably at the gun-like object on her right palm. From the short explanation Mitsuru and Ikutsuki gave earlier, the Evoker is a tool that channels a spark of energy to the brain, and it summons a Persona for them to use. The design as a gun was made to invoke the fear of terror of committing suicide, and while she hadn't seen a lot about guns in her previous lifetime (though Naoto's guns did come to mind in the Culture Festival Labyrinth), she was very certain of what suicide was.

To discard your own life...

She wasn't afraid of the Evoker itself. It was almost impossible to be afraid, ever since SEES used these things back in the rift. She was more afraid of the concept itself, to commit mock-suicide in order to use her powers. The feeling of Death being held at her fingertips despite the truth of what it truly was.

But when she lifted the object to her head... she strangely didn't feel any hesitation anymore. She took in the stares when she did. Mitsuru gazed at her with a cold expression, unlike during the rift, where she seemed more expressive. Akihiko and Yukari looked very unsettled to see a little girl holding an artifact of Death. Minato and Zen were the least concerned, mostly knowing of what comes next.

She had no reason to be afraid on the chance of dying. She was never afraid of dying as well. What reason was there, when she had already accepted her death when Zen was there with her? And more to that, they knew she had the chance, not to be lost in history, but to live and be a good companion to them.

And that's why, for as long as she lived...

She smiled warmly.

"Persona."

 _Bang!_

The power the enveloped her was pure and great, a power from the unfulfilled Universe that responded to her calling. And so the true self made its form.

The Persona that answered appeared as an incomplete body at first; the arms had no elbows and anything beyond, along with the legs and their knees. From the ends of the half-developed limbs were yellow flames blazing vigorously. The markings on its body made it look like it was wearing a vest, though the head had a similar pattern attached to it. And speaking of its head, where the hair would be was instead another set of flames as bright as its core, that rested in the stomach of the Persona.

And so, once it materialized completely, it spoke for Rei's sake.

 _I am thou... thou art I..._

 _I am the harvester that brings hope to you..._

 _I am Saturnus, the justice for your future..._

The new Persona then promptly disappeared the next few seconds, and the flow of power, her power, returned to her very being. A Persona, her true self, her own identity...

As long as she lived, she could repay the favor by helping those that saved her before.

She smiled once more, contended.

* * *

 **Thebel** **–** **Floor 1**

To Minato, battles with Shadows were simple.

Strike the enemy down until it was gone.

It's how any kind of confrontation between humans worked, and this was no exception. However, it was the short version of how it worked, he admitted. To win a fight easily, one must plan strategies and then strike hard. Inflicting weaknesses, reading the right movements, understanding everyone's behavior and their powers, things here and there he had to pay attention to. Mitsuru did explain to them about the necessities of tactics, and boy how often they were.

The next battle was a setup for such.

" _Four Shadows. Strike first!"_

Minato took the first strike, his short sword slicing one of the four Cowardly Mayas, damaging about a third of its life. These kinds of Shadows often went down in two or three hits, so the second hit was left to Yukari, easily wounding it with a flung arrow, but not destroying it. That was left to Zen, with a long sword in hand, and the Maya was decimated easily with a single swing. Rei's turn came around as she brought her Evoker to her head.

"Saturnus!" _Bang!_

An Agi to burn a Cowardly Maya and knock it down. A second Agi to throw the next one off its balance. And a third Agi to punish the final Maya with the same affliction. All of them were weak to the Fire element, as she remembered when Minato performed the same thing with his Orpheus earlier.

"Oh, should we go for an All-Out Attack?" Rei asked, very reminiscent of the cooperative technique back in the rift.

"Go for it."

Their leader's command rallied them, everyone vigorously preparing themselves before they rushed towards the three downed Cowardly Mayas. The cloud that settled in was caused by the outstanding destruction by the group, demolishing the Shadows with no hesitation... though Rei wished she had a weapon to herself. Her poor hands...

The cloud soon took the form of a skull, and the Cowardly Mayas were no more.

"Yeah! We did it!" Rei cheered for another victory earned.

" _You all seem to be doing well,"_ Mitsuru voiced in their mental communication. _"I trust there are no problems as of now?"_

"I'm good on my end," Yukari answered, giving a small smile.

"Rei and I have no complaints," Zen spoke for themselves, with Rei giving a nod of approval.

"With the way things are going," Minato offered his thoughts, "it seems it won't take long until we make bigger leaps in Tartarus." He ran a free hand through his hair. "Though, with the restrictions applied, that will be for another day, I suppose." The moment they found the stairs, they were sternly ordered to halt their advance upward and practice on the first floor. He didn't mind, but he had this feeling a 'tutorial' wasn't necessary. Well, to him at least.

" _We can't blindly rush in without understanding the basic layout of the world around us,"_ the redhead responded to the field leader. _"Do you understand?"_

"Of course," he answered. It wasn't a complaint to show any disappointment. "I'm only saying things, that's all. Besides, I don't expect the world to make things easier for us."

"Junpei sure would, if he was here," Yukari sighed, easily imagining the overly-excitable dunderhead acting like a hero and attempt to bulldoze through. She'd give points for trying, though she could take them back for acting like an idiot...

"What should we do for now?" Zen inquired Mitsuru, getting to the point. "Do we head on back if we're done here?"

"But the stairs to go down are gone," Rei wondered, starting to realize the extent of the 'ever-changing' labyrinth Tartarus was.

" _You can make it back by finding a device that transports you four back to ground level,"_ Mitsuru informed. _"Arisato, this will be a good opportunity to split into teams. Spread out and search for it."_

"Very well," Minato responded as he turned to the group before nodding. "For now, search for the device. If you run into any treasure, take them."

"Got it."

"Okay, Leader!"

"Understood."

* * *

 **Dark Hour** **–** **Tartarus, Lobby**

When they stepped out of the transport device, they found themselves back into the lobby of Tartarus.

Rei turned around to see what did she step out of. Ignoring the glances from the others, what she found was the device that didn't seem to work at all since they started. It was inoperable at first. It didn't seem to be of much use early on. But just now, she saw a faint glow coming from the device before its lights gave way, falling back into visual silence.

So it worked? But why couldn't either of them operate it when they entered Tartarus? Before she could ponder further, a tug from Zen told her that it was nothing to worry about for now...

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted them from beside the stairs, with Akihiko next to her. "So, how was it?"

"Not a problem," came from the usually-silent field leader. Minato had a small smile forming, Rei noticed, before he cleverly hid it.

"I see," the red-haired senior responded, finding his remark endearing. "Well if you gained confidence, that's the best thing you could have achieved."

"Confidence for competence," Zen whispered to himself.

"Hey," Rei hummed with a fatigued look, "I kinda feel tired all of a sudden. And a little hungry..."

"The Dark Hour is activated at midnight," Zen responded, turning to her. "Most of us should be sleeping by then."

"Really?" Rei glanced to him in slight astonishment, though her sluggish body couldn't add more to her surprise. "Does this mean we have to start napping before we start the Dark Hour?"

"Won't your sleep hours get destroyed like that?" Yukari grimaced. "I don't think I'd last through the year if I somehow stay awake after the Dark Hour..." And it would cause further problems if she left her head on the desk. No one would ever perish the image if it came to.

"It isn't necessarily suggested," Mitsuru shook her head at the idea before adding, "but you're free to try if you're still tired after school." Then she nodded. "At any rate, I'm surprised. You all did much better than I expected."

"Oh? How better?" Minato responded, clearly amused despite hiding his smile.

"Hm, perhaps being quick enough to reach Akihiko's strength if you were to continue your progress in a consistent rate," the red-haired senior answered with a hint of mirth.

"Heh, we'll see about that," Akihiko chuckled, almost in high spirits.

In any event, Minato thought, with the combination of his powers with the team's, they were able to stand against the Shadows in the first floor. Truthfully, it was one step out of more than a few hundreds, but surely they will overcome anything after leaps and bounds...

...!?

 _Flash!_

 _Rank Up! Fool Arcana Level 2!_

...He hummed to himself. The Fool Arcana, the SEES Social Link? Perhaps there was something to these bonds he needed to understand...

As the group began to leave after discussing the next possible night of exploration, Zen waited behind for a moment to stare with an empty look to the ceiling, thinking about something... strange.

"Saturnus..."

He shook his head before leaving the lobby. Even if it was another identity, it sure seemed to fit Rei in a sense.

* * *

"Hm hm hm..."

 **Dark Hour – Iwatodai Dorm, Rooftop**

A silver-haired boy sang to himself as he watched the haunted skies, inhabited by the waning golden moon, as he thought to the events that passed on by so far.

"Well, while I think it could have gone better, Minato's early awakening will have to do for now. Not that it it's a bad prospect."

He messed up. He didn't mean to, but he hadn't expected it. He shrugged. Such a mistake didn't mean much to him. Compared to anything else that could go wrong, this mistake was very little, maybe even forgettable.

He was on the dorm's rooftop, the last place where a Shadow, particularly a strong one, once appeared. He turned to the door of the dorm's rooftop, not expecting anyone to exit from there. No Persona-user was left in the dorm, and Shuji Ikutsuki was elsewhere, so no one had to be occupying the dorm. What he was staring at seemed to be nothing, from the ends of the dorm to the edge of the roof, where he was calmly sitting on. There seemed to be nothing between them.

That was not the case.

He could feel it, the power starting to take up within that empty space. He knew it, down to its origin. It was his power, a focus of energy he already planted, having rooted and starting to grow. But at this point, it was little. It had not gained enough power to take a form right away, so it remained formless. Yet, this energy would only be detected by him, not until it was finished being realized.

Once it did, it would be a new story to tell, to Minato, to Hamuko, to Zen and Rei. To everyone who would be directly involved in his Journey.

This was it. This was what his research of a previous time concluded in. Created by wandering thoughts of the active souls, refined by the wonders of the collective unconscious, and with a number of allies by his side to uncover the many secrets that were hidden, this was one kind of phase he needed to rearrange the future itself.

He smiled.

"Do you understand? It may be for my sake, but it may as well be yours..."

And before the Dark Hour would end, before anyone would notice him there, he left silently, waiting for the next days to come.

* * *

 **Finish!**

 **Well, things are finally starting to look up. After a couple months of tense times that I won't explain, I managed to get this done in two months of actual work. Let's hope I can go for a shorter amount of time for any story I have, shall we?**

 **As for Rei's Persona, Saturnus, two reasons. One, Saturnus is identified as Chronos, so that one's easy. Two, I thought the Star Arcana would be right for her, since in PQ, she often brought smiles to everyone's faces before she fell apart. So why not? I'm just glad she had a Persona that was easily related, heh.**

 **Now then...**

 **Until the next NEW Moon...**


End file.
